"The chiefs now in this city" Indians and the urban frontier in early America

Rather than revisit the well-told stories of Native-white diplomatic relations in the 18th-century US and abroad, Calloway (Dartmouth College) here examines Native Americans' visits to early American cities and responses to colonialism. He shows that 18th-century indigenous Americans did not retreat and disappear into the Western frontier. Instead, urban centers themselves became frontiers where indigenous Americans, often members of Native delegations, participated in political activities while engaging with colonial society through social calls, visits to public houses, and other forms of entertainment. The "chiefs" to whom Calloway refers were Native Americans identified as such by Anglo-Americans, who loosely used the term for any Native American who appeared to exert some kind of influence. The book's goal is to reveal what Native Americans observed and thought during their visits to provide a greater understanding of their varied roles and agency within the colonial world. However, finding reliable primary sources produced by Native Americans was a challenge, as Calloway indicates. Nevertheless, through newspaper accounts, memoirs, and other primary sources, he succeeds in weaving a valuable, interesting, and credible narrative about indigenous Americans' experiences with and roles in the colonial world. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --Tammy Kae Byron, Dalton State College

In this eye-opening history, National Book Award finalist Calloway (The Indian World of George Washington) dispels popular notions about the absence of Indigenous peoples from towns and cities in colonial America. Rather than retreating from urban centers, Calloway reveals, Native Americans frequently moved toward them, exploiting new economic opportunities and facilitating cross-cultural exchanges. Calloway discusses the Indigenous settlements that preceded and coexisted with Albany, Montreal, Philadelphia, and other North American cities, and describes how Natives who became permanent city residents melted into the polyglot and multiracial urban underclass. Chiefs and other high-ranking delegates on diplomatic missions enjoyed lavish dinners and parties thrown in their honor, Calloway notes, but their "admiration of buildings, streets, markets and ships was tempered by doubt about the values, practices, and humanity of the society that constructed them." Calloway also takes note of the dangers Native visitors faced in cities, including exposure to smallpox and other deadly diseases, and delves into the personalities and negotiating strategies of Native leaders including Delaware chief Teedyuscung and Mohawk statesman Joseph Brant. With an abundance of colorful anecdotes drawn from contemporaneous newspaper accounts and letters, this scholarly yet accessible account will appeal to fans of early American history. (May)

A history of the early American frontier from the perspective of Native Americans. At the beginning of his latest penetrating book on Native affairs, noted Dartmouth historian Calloway calls out the simplistic belief that Native Americans disappeared into the wilderness as colonists pushed west in the 18th and 19th centuries. On the contrary, writes the author, Native Americans frequently moved toward urban areas rather than away from them, "as they responded to new centers of power, adapted to new pressures, and took advantage of new economic opportunities." They traveled to Boston, Charleston, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, and other cities for not only diplomatic or economic reasons, but also recreational purposes, often staying weeks or months at a time. "Many historians have pored over the writing of colonial travelers for deeper understanding of Native American society and culture," writes Calloway, "yet few have looked to Native American travelers for alternative understandings of early American society and culture." As he has done in previous books, the author provides an extensive review and analysis of the available literature, offering a fresh view of the lives of Native Americans during the early years of the new republic while correcting many common misconceptions, particularly in relation to hospitality, civility, and justice. Calloway shows how "colonial communities depended on connections to Indian country for their existence, growth, and prosperity." To this end, the leaders of these cities would host delegates from various Native nations for conferences and negotiations, often making arrangements and paying for their lodging and other expenses. Native men and women would also travel to cities to trade and to engage socially. While in the city, they took part in everyday Colonial life, including eating, drinking, attending church, and visiting and performing in theater productions. Calloway also explores the perils faced by Native Americans on these journeys, including violence, racism, and disease. A welcome Native-focused history of Colonial America. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.