American Indian Renaissance

In 1900, many well informed people–Indians as well as settlers–expected that distinctive Indian cultures were on the verge of disappearance, never to return. Given what was then known and knowable, it was a sensible expectation. The subsequent century and a quarter, however, has decisively falsified this expectation. Our course deals with this falsification. Of what, now, do distinctive Indian identities consist of? How, historically, have they emerged? How do they cohabit with settler culture? What might the future hold for them?

Suggested Reading: Abe Streep, Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in Montana, ISBN 978-1250210685.

Steve Piker is an anthropologist by career, most of which was spent at Swarthmore College. He has offered many courses at four of Maine’s senior colleges. American Indians are a career long interest.