First online open access edition.
Subsistence Economies of Indigenous North American Societies provides in-depth documentation of how Native American societies met the challenges of adapting to the varied ecosystems of North America over the past 10,000 years. The contributors identify recurrent themes and questions that have shaped debates regarding the nature of Native American interaction with and impact on their local environments throughout the Holocene. The volume features full ecosystem coverage of North America, detailing the use of wild plant and animal resources in each of eight broadly defined geographical regions. The independent domestication of eastern North American plants and the subsequent introduction of domesticated crops, first from Mexico and subsequently from Eurasia, are described in detail, as is the introduction of Eurasian domesticated livestock, and the role of the turkey, the dog, and tobacco in indigenous North American societies. The volume closes by considering how and to what degree Native American societies actively shaped their natural environments.
Contributors: Mary J. Adair, Karen R. Adams, Alestine Andre, Robert L. Bettinger, John R. Bozell, Virginia L. Butler, Sarah K. Campbell, Kimberly Carpenter, Fiona Hamersley Chambers, Gary W. Crawford, Christyann M. Darwent, Richard R. Drass, Sandra L. Dunavan, Carl R. Falk, Suzanne K. Fish, Catherine S. Fowler, Gayle J. Fritz, D. Ann Trieu Gahr, Kristen J. Gremillion, William R. Hildebrandt, Steven R. James, Joel C. Janetski, Eileen Johnson, Volney H. Jones, Amanda Karst, Heather A. Lapham, Jennifer A. Leonard, Natalie D. Munro, Lee A. Newsom, Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman, Elizabeth J. Reitz, David E. Rhode, C. Margaret Scarry, Bruce D. Smith, Lynn M. Snyder, Bonnie W. Styles, Nancy J. Turner, Eric Wohlgemuth, and Richard A. Yarnell
Publication Date: August 13, 2025
Availability: Electronically
