The Vikings and America Indians of the Greater Southeast
Reviews The Vikings and America By Eric Wahlgren (Thames and Hudson, 1986; first paperback edition, 2000; 192 pgs.; illus.; $19 paper, 800-233-4830)
For more than 50 years, Eric Wahlgren studied the Vikings. In particular, Wahlgren sought to discover the location of Vinland, the mysterious “land of grapevines” discovered by Leif Eriksson nearly 1,000 years ago and believed by many scholars to be L’Anse aux Meadows, a Viking settlement in northern Newfoundland. By the end of his life, Wahlgren was convinced that Vinland was in fact much farther south, though its From Mounds to Mammoths: A Field Guide to Oklahoma Prehistory 2nd Edition by Claudette Gilbert and Robert L. Brooks (University of Oklahoma Press, 2000; 129 pgs., illus.; $14 paper; 800-627-7377) The authors have produced a handy guide to 30,000 years of Oklahoma prehistory, from the first American mammoth hunters to the farmers and buffalo hunters of contact times. It ends before resettled Eastern tribes changed the mix forever. Oklahoma is a diverse area on the edge of the Great Plains, and its prehistoric people reflect that diversity. This little volume is a commendable introduction to that fascinating story.
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From Mounds to Mammoths: A Field Guide to Oklahoma Prehistory
definitive location is unknown. But in the course of his research, he amassed a wealth of information about these little-understood people, which he reports in a delightfully idiosyncratic voice. To set the record straight, Vikings were not depraved barbarians who killed out of bloodlust and quaffed wine from the skulls of their fallen enemies. Although the savagery of their raids is well documented, Wahlgren asserts the Vikings were no more bloodthirsty than countless other peoples throughout history driven by population pressure, climatic disturbances, and political upheavals. On the other hand, Vikings established the first democratic parliament, worshipped a complex pantheon of gods, and developed one of the great technological wonders of the pre-industrial world: the flexible, lightweight, supremely maneuverable Viking warship. It was this technological superiority, rather than an innately brutish character, which accounts for the Vikings’ domination of Europe for more than 300 years, and their successful establishment of colonies in Iceland, Greenland, Labrador, and Newfoundland. This wonderfully readable and even-handed book makes understandable Wahlgren’s lifelong fascination with these enigmatic people. —Betsy Greenlee
Indians of the Greater Southeast Edited by Bonnie G. McEwan (University Press of Florida, 2000; 392 pgs., illus.; $55 cloth; 800-226-3822)
If you have ever wondered about the Indian tribes who lived in the American Southeast at the time of European settlement, this book is for you. Surprisingly, there is more information about the prehistoric peoples of the region than on the Indians encountered by Europeans and Americans. Bonnie McEwan, the director of archaeology at Mission San Luis in Tallahassee, Florida, has assembled an outstanding group of scholars to integrate the archaeological, historical, and ethnographic evidence in the most comprehensive study of these cultures ever published. Clearly, the lack of an interdisciplinary approach has limited our understanding of these tribes, and this volume addresses that problem. Eleven of the nation’s top historical archaeologists tackle 11 of the Indian nations that occupied the territory from Florida to Texas. They include some of the best known but little-understood American tribes—the Cherokee, the Natchez, and the Caddo. These are the tribes that first came in contact with an alien civilization and religion. But it was perhaps alien germs that had the greatest effect, as populations plummeted. Even the most determined natives were unable to resist these massive changes, which are ably documented in this distinguished volume. —Mark Michel fall
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