I am looking for recommendations for books on the natives of North America. I am interested in how they came to be in the areas they occupied, daily life, social organization, beliefs, what differentiated one tribe from another. I not interested in books dealing with the European invasion or its aftermath, I would like to get to know them before or aside from their contact with the Europeans. I would also like to avoid any sugarcoating dealing with natives, ie peaceful, nature loving, politically correct, pro/anti indian tales.
Well then I suppose “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” is out.
Try this:
A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples
by Barry Pritzker
Very Scholarly (I think its Oxford Press), very comprehensive, and not really an encylopedia, just encyclopedic.