Connecticut's indigenous peoples : what archaeology, history, and oral traditions teach us about their communities and cultures /

The earliest known Paleo-Indian living site so far discovered in Connecticut is dated to about 10,215 years ago. Beginning with that date, Lavin (Institute for American Indian Studies) recounts the history of Native Americans in Connecticut, using information gleaned from archaeological, ethnographic, and ethnohistorical research. The introduction is a history of archaeology in Connecticut. Chapters 1-9 move chronologically through the Paleo-Indian, Archaic, and Woodland periods to the time of the European intrusion. The author links this history to dynamic ecological processes and climate change without falling into environmental determinism. She includes discussion of all aspects of material, cultural, and subsistence life. Chapter 10 covers four centuries, from 1633 to the present. It is a tale of survival despite war and repression, and emphasizes the unbroken continuity and dynamism of Connecticut's Native peoples. Lavin closes with an account of the obstructions that state and federal bureaucracies have thrown in the way of Connecticut tribes seeking appropriate recognition. As a comprehensive and synthesizing work, the book is outstanding and much needed. Its generous and appropriate illustrations usefully complement the text. The notes and bibliography are comprehensive. Summing Up: Highly recommended. For all libraries, not only in Connecticut. R. Berleant-Schiller emerita, University of Connecticut