Native North American armor, shields, and fortifications / by David E. Jones.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jones, David E., 1942-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Indians of North America--Warfare.

Indians of North America.

Indian weapons--North America.

Indian weapons.

Indian armor--North America.

Indian armor.

Fortification--North America.

Fortification.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (207 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, c2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

From the Chickasaw fighting the Choctaw in the Southeast to the Sioux battling the Cheyenne on the Great Plains, warfare was endemic among the North American Indians when Europeans first arrived on this continent. An impressive array of offensive weaponry and battle tactics gave rise to an equally impressive range of defensive technology. Native Americans constructed very effective armor and shields using wood, bone, and leather. Their fortifications ranged from simple refuges to walled and moated stockades to multiple stockades linked in strategic defensive networks. In this book, David E. Jones offers the first systematic comparative study of the defensive armor and fortifications of aboriginal Native Americans. Drawing data from ethnohistorical accounts and archaeological evidence, he surveys the use of armor, shields, and fortifications both before European contact and during the historic period by American Indians from the Southeast to the Northwest Coast, from the Northeast Woodlands to the desert Southwest, and from the Sub-Arctic to the Great Plains. Jones also demonstrates the sociocultural factors that affected warfare and shaped the development of different types of armor and fortifications. Extensive eyewitness descriptions of warfare, armor, and fortifications, as well as photos and sketches of Indian armor from museum collections, add a visual dimension to the text.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. People of the Rivers

2. Standing Fights and Poison Arrows

3. The Horse Warriors

4. The Castle Builders

5. The Importance of Influential Neighbors

6. Warriors with Glittering Shields

7. Land of the Cold Snow Forests

8. The Salmon Kings

9. The Strongbows

10. Home of the North Wind

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 165-182) and index.

ISBN:

9780292798823

0292798822

OCLC:

191818313