Timothy J. Shannon

Iroquoi indjánarnir voru voldugt bandalag indjánaþjóða í norðaustur Ameríku þegar landnám álfunnar hófst. Öfugt við aðrar indjánaþjóðir beittu þeir pólitískum klækjum í samskiptum sínum við Evrópubúa og héldu lengi vel velli m.a. með því að tefla andstæðum fylkingum gegn hvorri annarri. Það var ekki fyrr en veldi þeirra hafði hnignað í kjölfar sjálfstæðisbaráttu Bandaríkjamanna, sem virtu gerða samninga lítils, að verulega fór að síga á verri hliðina. Greinargott og upplýsandi rit en þó bragðdauft.… (más)

There are two competing narratives about the Iroquois that dominate popular conceptions of them---that they were an independent and warlike people who rose up against colonial encroachments on their territory, and that they were politically advanced culture whose form of government was a major source of inspiration for the American founders. Shannon provides an evidence-based history that shows that neither of these views is particularly accurate. Far from a federalist system, the Iroquois peoples were more of a loose confederacy based largely on a clan system, often with individual towns or villages acting independently of the larger group, and all of them basically acting pragmatically in their dealings with foreign powers. He paints a picture of them as neither "noble savages", nor just plain savages (though still emerging from a state of savagery in their recent history), with large and relatively politically complex settlements. Neither the European colonists nor the Iroquois were entirely to blame for their eventual fate, though there was plenty of blame to go around on both sides. It was more a case of two very different cultures at different stages of development that very often simply couldn't understand each other. The descriptions of the ongoing diplomatic negotiations are sometimes a bit dry, but on the whole this is a very interesting read for anyone interested in Native American, or just plain American, history.… (más)