With more than 50,000 enrolled members, North Carolina's Lumbee Indians are the largest Native American tribe east of the Mississippi River. Malinda Maynor Lowery, a Lumbee herself, describes how, between Reconstruction and the 1950s, the Lumbee crafted and maintained a distinct identity in an era defined by racial segregation in the South and paternalistic policies for Indians throughout the nation. They did so against the backdrop of some of the...

What happened when early humans ventured out of Africa and into Asia? Where did they go and whom did they meet along the way? The latest evidence suggests they left far earlier than previously thought and interbred with other types of ancient human - Homo erectus, Neanderthals and also the Denisovans, whose existence was established only five years ago when geneticists extracted DNA from a tiny fragment of finger bone. Because these ancient humans...

As early humans spread out across the world, their toughest challenge was colonizing the Americas - because a huge ice sheet blocked the route. It has long been thought that the pioneers, known as Clovis people, arrived about 13,000 years ago, but an underwater discovery in Mexico suggests people arrived earlier than previously thought - and by boat, not on foot. How closely related were these First Americans to today's Native Americans? It's a controversial...

Around 200,000 years ago, a new species, Homo sapiens, appeared on the African landscape. While scientists have imagined eastern Africa as a real-life Garden of Eden, the latest research suggests humans evolved in many places across the continent at the same time. DNA from a 19th-century African-American slave is forcing geneticists to re-think the origins of our species. The theory is that our ancestors met, mated and hybridized with other human...

An introduction to the Cherokee lifestyle and history, including their forced relocation and how they keep traditions alive today. A Cherokee story recounts why some creatures are able to fly.

"An introducion to the Shawnee lifestyle and history, including their forced relocation and how they keep traditions alive today. A Shawnee story recounts the importance of family." --

"An introduction to the Hopi lifestyle and history, including their forced relocation and how they keep traditions alive today. A Hopi story recounts how people came to live in this world." --

"An introduction to the Cheyenne lifestyle and history, including their forced relocation and how they keep traditions alive today. A Cheyenne story recounts how people became chief of the animals." --

In Native American history, the Iroquois have earned their place as one of the most democratic alliances with some of the most formidable warriors. United by a language and a desire to improve their lifestyles, the Iroquois Nations helped shape United States history. This book details the story of the Five, and later Six, Iroquois Nations-the Cayuga, the Seneca, the Onondaga, the Oneida, the Mohawk, and the Tuscarora: who they were, how the Iroquois...