Re-creates the values and behaviour of Cherokee women during the 18th & 19th centuries
Theda Perdue is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her works include Slavery and the Evolution of Cherokee Society, 1540–1866 and Native Carolinians: The Indians of North Carolina.
“A fascinating book that truly breaks new ground in the study of
Cherokee history, women's history, and American history in general.
Exemplifies women's history at its best. She neither concentrates
only on so-called notable women—those Cherokee women who are
supposedly worthy of historical study because they acted like white
men—or on inserting Cherokee women into an already existing
narrative of Cherokee and American history. Instead her work
challenges the existing narratives and suggests an alternative
reading of history. By characterizing women as agents of cultural
persistence, Perdue makes a case that we should not see American
Indian women as bit players but as ‘major players in the great
historical drama that is the American past.’”—Margaret Jacobs,
Journal of Southern History
“An interesting and effective overview. . . . It is to the author’s
considerable credit that she is able to re-create the values and
behavior of Cherokee women through court records, myths, and
observers’ accounts. By examining women’s roles in farming and
community life, Perdue argues that women were coequal contributors
to Cherokee culture.”—Choice
“A well-documented, carefully argued book written in lively and
engaging prose. It deserves a wide audience. . . . An exceptional
piece of scholarship.”—William and Mary Quarterly
“Gracefully written and convincing.”—H-Net Reviews
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