Native Peoples of North America

The commonly held views of Native Americans and the realities of a tapestry of vibrant cultures; Cobb explains the pitfalls that occur when history does not provide this crucial viewpoint; the mistake of consigning Native Americans to the past.

The misleading dichotomy of Old World and New World impacts perceptions of Native Americans; the Columbian Exchange is the crux behind the creation of new worlds for all; shaping everything from the fauna and flora to the cuisines of the world.

The cultures that exist before the Spanish Invasion; the struggle for power through Hernando de Soto's entrada through the Southeast; the Pueblo War for Independence in the Southwest; the Native American worlds born in the aftermath of these events.

How connections are forged between Native Americans and newcomers as they incorporate each other into their worlds; examples across the Northeastern Woodlands down to Werowocomoco; how the search for common ground begins at first contact.

Once Europeans arrive, the Native peoples of the Northeast want to maintain their autonomy; the strategies and experiences of the Wendat and Iroquois; Native Americans transform the European colonial project while preserving a measured separatism.

An exploration of the Iroquois Confederacy and the Lenape people; Native Americans keep or lose their lands through treaties and negotiations; the repercussions of these conflicts sometimes go beyond relocation; enslavement or near annihilation.