From Chicaza to Chickasaw - by Robbie Ethridge (Paperback)

About the Book

From Chicaza to Chickasaw: The European Invasion and the Transformation of the Mississippian World, 1540-1715

Book Synopsis

In this sweeping regional history, anthropologist Robbie Ethridge traces the metamorphosis of the Native South from first contact in 1540 to the dawn of the eighteenth century, when indigenous people no longer lived in a purely Indian world but rather on the edge of an expanding European empire. Using a framework that Ethridge calls the "Mississippian shatter zone" to explicate these tumultuous times, From Chicaza to Chickasaw examines the European invasion, the collapse of the precontact Mississippian world, and the restructuring of discrete chiefdoms into coalescent Native societies in a colonial world. The story of one group--the Chickasaws--is closely followed through this period.

Review Quotes

[A] sweeping regional history. . . . With skillfully synthesized archaeological and documentary evidence, Ethridge illuminates the Native South in its earliest colonial context and sheds new light on the profound upheaval and cultural transformation experienced by the region's first people.--Lone Star Book Review

A necessary purchase for archeologists and historians.--Journal of North Carolina Association of Historians

A scholarly and recommended read . . . a strong addition for historical collections with a focus on the discovery of the new world.--The Midwest Book Review

Ethridge has done an exceptional job detailing the metamorphosis of southeastern Indian communities heavily involved in the Indian slave trade. . . . An innovative study that will interest scholars with a concentration in either Native American or early American history.--Alabama Review

Ethridge's extraordinary work. . . . will inspire new scholarship for many years to come.--Journal of Southern History

Ethridge's treatment of this complicated subject is engaging and impressive.--Journal of Interdisciplinary History

For those interested in the specific path by which the tribal Chickasaw entity arose, this volume is invaluable. . . . Recommended. Graduate students, faculty.--Choice

No one has yet produced more concise summaries of, for instance, Mississippian cosmology or how Indian slave-raiding parties actually operated.--American Historical Review

Robbie Ethridge has done a service in compiling and synthesizing all the new work into one much-needed volume. . . . A must-read for students of both Native-American and southern history.--Journal of American History

With skillfully synthesized archeological and documentary evidence, Ethridge illuminates the Native South in its earliest colonial context.--Lone Star Book Review