Handbook of North American Indians

Handbook of North American Indians
Name	Handbook of North American Indians
Editor	William C. Sturtevant
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Indigenous peoples of North America
Publisher	Smithsonian Institution
Pub date	1978–present
Media type	Print, digital

Handbook of North American Indians is a multi-volume encyclopedic series documenting the Indigenous peoples of North America, produced under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution. The series synthesizes ethnography, archaeology, linguistics, history, and material culture with contributions from leading scholars and institutions. It serves as a reference for researchers associated with the National Museum of Natural History, Bureau of American Ethnology, American Anthropological Association, and numerous universities.

Overview

The project presents regional and thematic syntheses that integrate perspectives from archaeology scholars such as James A. Ford, Alfred Kroeber, Edward Sapir, and Lewis Henry Morgan, alongside linguistic analyses influenced by work at University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, Yale University, and University of Washington. Coverage spans cultural areas including the Arctic, Subarctic, Northwest Coast, Plateau, Great Basin, California, Southwest, Plains, Northeast Woodlands, and Southeast, with cross-references to colonial encounters such as the War of 1812, French and Indian War, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and the Indian Removal Act. The series connects artifact studies from institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and American Museum of Natural History with legal and political contexts involving the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Claims Commission, and notable rulings such as Worcester v. Georgia.

Publication history and editorial organization

Initiated under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution and coordinated with the Bureau of American Ethnology, the editorial program was led by editors whose careers intersected with figures like William C. Sturtevant, Julian Steward, and Franz Boas-influenced colleagues at Columbia University. Publication was funded and disseminated through collaborations with agencies including the National Endowment for the Humanities and academic presses such as University of Oklahoma Press. Volumes were produced across decades, reflecting shifts in funding cycles tied to federal initiatives like the National Historic Preservation Act and research priorities influenced by symposiums at the American Anthropological Association and panels convened by the National Academy of Sciences.

Content and thematic structure

Each volume combines regional overviews, thematic essays, chronological syntheses, and bibliographies. Contributors draw on archaeological frameworks exemplified by researchers associated with Pecos Conference, and linguistic typologies developed in studies of families such as Algonquian languages, Siouan languages, Uto-Aztecan languages, Athabaskan languages, and Eskimo–Aleut languages. Ethnohistoric essays reference primary documents linked to explorers and colonizers like Hernando de Soto, Samuel de Champlain, Lewis and Clark Expedition, Juan de Oñate, and missionary records connected to Jesuit missions in North America. Material culture sections integrate collections from Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Field Museum of Natural History, and regional museums including Autry Museum of the American West.

Contributors and editorial methodology

The volumes assemble contributions from archaeologists, ethnographers, and linguists affiliated with institutions such as University of Arizona, University of New Mexico, University of California, Los Angeles, McGill University, University of Toronto, and University of British Columbia. Methodological chapters reflect debates involving scholars like Marshall Sahlins, Laura Nader, Nicholas T. Procter, and discussions at conferences such as those hosted by the Society for American Archaeology. Editorial practices emphasized peer review, fieldwork citation standards influenced by Franz Boas' legacy, and ethical considerations paralleling guidelines from the American Anthropological Association and protocols later associated with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Reception and impact

Scholars in anthropology, history, and law have cited the series in works addressing issues raised in Wounded Knee (1890), analyses of treaties like the Treaty of Fort Laramie, and cultural revitalization movements involving groups such as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Navajo Nation, Cherokee Nation, Lakota people, and Inuit. Reviews in periodicals connected to American Antiquity, Ethnohistory, Journal of Archaeological Research, and American Indian Quarterly highlighted strengths and critiques comparable to debates around the Kennewick Man controversy and repatriation cases adjudicated under City of Sherrill. The handbook has been used in legal scholarship and museum practices and has informed curricula at institutions including Stanford University, University of Michigan, University of Chicago, and tribal colleges like Sinte Gleska University.

Editions, volumes, and digital accessibility

Published in multiple print volumes, the series has editions produced by the Smithsonian Institution Press and distribution partnerships with university presses. Individual volumes focus on specific regions or themes and include comprehensive bibliographies and maps derived from collections at the Library of Congress and digitized archives such as those at the National Anthropological Archives. Digital initiatives have sought to enhance access via platforms run by the Smithsonian Institution and collaborative digitization with repositories like HathiTrust Digital Library and university library consortia, increasing availability for researchers at the American Council of Learned Societies, tribal archives, and international institutions including the British Museum.

Category:Encyclopedias of culture