Reviews

"This work leaves the reader with a sense of both the complexity of the concept of Crow tribal identity in the reservation era as well as the humanity of the individuals who lived and built families during this time. It is a necessary addition to the library of any scholar interested in the formation of today's Crow tribe."--Montana The Magazine of Western History"Frank Rzeczkowski masterfully complicates the story of nineteenth-century northern plains intertribal relations, before and after the creation of reservations. He focuses on the Crow, but incorporates Blackfeet, Cheyenne, Lakota, and Cree into his analysis, making this much more than a tribal history. . . . Deeply researched and clearly written, this important book deserves wide readership, both for its methods and its message."--Journal of American History"An important work because it demonstrates clearly that Northern Plains Indians drew upon a long tradition of fluidity and openness to craft dynamic intertribal relationships that helped Native Americans better navigate new cultural, social, political, and economic realities."--Kansas History"With this insightful study, Rzeczkowski places himself squarely in the midst of the ongoing scholarly debate over the nature of Indian tribalism and the origins of pan-Indian identity. Rzeczkowski uses the internal dynamics and external relations of the Crow nation in the late 19th century to demonstrate convincingly that Indian communities on the northern plains, engaging in wide-ranging cultural, economic, and familial exchanges, were always far more fluid and heterogeneous than traditional depictions of tribalism have suggested. . . . This is a nuanced and important contribution to an evolving cross-disciplinary conversation."--Choice"Utilizing an impressive array of archival materials, Uniting the Tribes is an important contribution to the preexisting scholarship on Native American history and identity, inasmuch as Rzeczkowski brings multiple tribes into the fold and upends the overly simplistic dichotomy of Indian and non-Indian."--Pacific Historical Review

"Rzeczkowski's on-the-ground narrative brilliantly reveals both the rise of cross-tribal identities and the processes that undermined them. His study has much to teach us about Indian peoples and about the uneven power of colonialism."--Fred Hoxie, author of Parading through History: The Making of the Crow Nation in America, 1805-1935"Provides a fresh look at the importance of intertribal relationships and the permeable boundaries of the too often calcified concept of 'tribes.'"--Kathleen Sherman, author of Lakota Culture, World Economy"An eye-opening study that frames the subject in an original way."--Alexandra Harmon, author of Rich Indians: Native People and the Problem of Wealth in American History