The Pawnee by Theresa Jensen Lacey

	The Pawnee moved to the Great Plains from the West about 700 years ago and inhabited what is now Nebraska and Kansas. Although they did not have much interaction with white settlers until the 1800s, other tribes came west to avoid whites, and this resulted in conflicts between them. The Pawnee traditionally lived in permanent villages and besides hunting, they grew crops. In 1803, the land they occupied was sold (without their knowledge or, of course, consent) to the United States. Shortly after this, settlers, fences, railroads and telegraphs made their way through Pawnee tribal lands. In 1859, the Pawnee were moved to a reserve in Nebraska, and although in the 1860s they fought as allies with the U.S. military against other tribes, their efforts weren't recognized or honored. In 1876, they were again forcibly moved, this time to Oklahoma. By the 1900s their population had dwindled to less than 700 people. Today, they work to preserve and protect their culture, history and way of life, and their population has grown to just under 3,000.
Like THE BLACKFEET, writing this book was humbling for me. Being of Native American descent myself, to read another tribe's history and all the horrors they have endured in the cause of "civilization," and then to visit them and see for myself how far they have come, was an eye- and soul-opening experience. By the way, this book is lavishly illustrated with copies of paintings by Pawnee artist Charles Chapman, who I understand taught himself to paint when he was past his 80th winter! This book has been well reviewed by such notable publications as THE HORN BOOK and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, among others.
THE PAWNEE has just been newly revised and updated, with sidebars in the previous chapters and a new chapter at the end, bringing the book current. The "Foreword" in this edition was written by Ada E. Deer, director of the American Indian Studies program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the former Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. This second edition was released in late fall 2005. As in revising THE BLACKFEET, I felt a sort of 'homecoming' in speaking with the tribespeople whom I had met in researching the first edition. As a people, the Pawnee have come through horrendous trials and are making great strides for themselves. It was an honor to write about such people. Buy it now at www.chelseahouse.com or your local bookstore. ISBN: 0-7910-8599-6 (hardcover)