ARC Review: Forgotten Landscapes

A sweeping narrative of Native American history from pre-and post-European contact. The missing link in the North American historical record that has always been there and has finally been brought to light.

Stanley A. Rice sets out to show, through both archeological evidence and the historical record, how Native Americans shaped the North American landscape, achieving feats attributed to the most sophisticated civilizations known to man, which has so far proven elusive in the vast majority of scholarship concerning the First Nations.

Rice begins by describing the civilizations of the Mississippian culture at Cahokia. This is located in St. Louis Missouri. I’ve been here recently and have seen first hand, and climbed to the top of the ruins of the steppe pyramids and they are absolutely incredible. To deny that Native Americans did not have the same architectural genius as other ancient cultures during this same time period is mind-boggling, and yet, that is exactly what the European-American account has repeatedly stated over and over again to justify the annihilation and disenfranchisement of First Nations.

Rice doesn’t stop here though, he goes on to challenge the assertion made by white settlers that Native Americans were incapable of properly “managing” the earth by showing how Native Americans did in fact, manipulate their environment to benefit their people through such practices as irrigation, controlled burns, crop growing, migration, and many many other practices. He goes on to examine the writings of various historians who recorded the environmental impact post Native American removal to further show the effects the First Nations had on the North American landscape.

These are just a few of the things Rice discusses in this book. I highly recommend anyone interested in Native American history or North American pre-Columbus to pick up this up and read it. I’ll be purchasing a copy for my home library, as I believe this is a crucial history to know and understand and pass on.

I received an ARC for this book, courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

This title releases 15 July. You can pre-order your copy on bookshop.org. If you would like a percentage of the proceeds to support Save Ancient Studies Alliance, use this affiliate link.