The American Indian Intellectual Tradition - by David Martínez

About the Book

Thirty-one essays that exemplify Native American thinking on such issues as identity, autonomy, and sovereignty over two centuries.

Book Synopsis

In The American Indian Intellectual Tradition, David Martínez presents thirty-one essays that exemplify Native American intellectual culture across two centuries. The occasion for many of the pieces was the exertion of colonial and then federal power to limit or obliterate the authority and autonomy of American Indians. The writers featured were activists for their home communities and for all indigenous people.

Martínez divides his book into three critical epochs of American Indian history with section introductions that provide political context for the selected readings. Works by Vine Deloria Jr., Elias Johnson, Laura Cornelius Kellogg, Susette La Flesche, D'Arcy McNickle, Samson Occom, John Ross, and twenty-one other writers and community leaders are accompanied by bibliographies. The essays display the diversity and sophistication of American Indian writers; although Martínez's approach is pan-Indian, each author is situated in terms of his or her specific culture, politics, and historical context. At the same time, throughout the book there are significant recurring themes that enable the reader to appreciate the scope of the American Indian intellectual tradition and the common cultural standpoints that bind these various writers together.

Review Quotes

"The American Indian Intellectual Tradition makes a highly significant contribution to existing scholarship in Native American studies. In his informative, well-written, and engaging introduction, David Martínez contends that American Indian writing from the early days of the American republic to the 1970s constitutes a coherent intellectual tradition defined in good measure by its critical engagement with colonization. The essays Martínez have chosen take up critical issues that remain vital in Indian Country: conflicts over land, political sovereignty, and the place of Native peoples in the dominant society."--Shari M. Huhndorf, University of Oregon

"David Martínez's anthology is a terrific resource for all of us in Native American Studies and for American Indian people in general. These writings demonstrate the richness and depth of an intellectual heritage that deserves the sort of focus and attention offered so abundantly here."--Robert Warrior, University of Illinois

"In The American Indian Intellectual Tradition, David Martínez has assembled a compelling and important collection of primary documents that highlight an important theme in the intellectual history of Native North America. Without question, Martínez not only accentuates an array of important indigenous voices but also establishes the American Indian intellectual tradition promised by the book's title."--Daniel Cobb, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

About the Author

David Martínez is Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies at Arizona State University and the author of Dakota Philosopher: Charles Eastman and American Indian Thought.