Book Review

Paul H. Carlson provides a good survey of change and continuity on the Plains from pre-European to modern times. The focus of the book is on how contact events shaped transformations in Plains social institutions and cultural orientations. The first chapter provides a general description of the geography of the region and compares the lifeways of the semisedentary and the nomadic peoples who occupied the region. In the second chapter, Carlson gives a brief sketch of the archaeological research on the Plains region prior to European arrival, focusing on how social life changed, and offers interpretations about the migrations of various groups to the Plains. The third chapter discusses the diffusion of the horse from the Southwest and the central role the bison played in the lives of native peoples. Carlson also gives a good sketch of the impact of the horse and gun on hunting activity, social organization, population movements, and political relations among groups on the Plains.

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Four chapters provide a general overview of economy and material culture, social organization, the life cycle and gender roles, and ceremony and belief. These chapters concentrate on commonalities but also point out changes that occurred as a result of the transition from a subsistence economy to one based partly on trade, and the author also draws attention to differences between village and nomadic peoples.

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