The Great Power of Small Nations: Indigenous Diplomacy in the Gulf South

The book explores how diverse Indigenous peoples, including Biloxis, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Houmas, Mobilians, and Tunicas, influenced and often challenged the growth of colonial Louisiana. It argues that Native American migration and practices of offering refuge to migrants in crisis enabled Native nations to survive the violence of colonization and made them powerful. However, the same practices have made it difficult for their contemporary descendants to achieve federal acknowledgment and full rights as Native American peoples.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 25 October 2022
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

In her captivating book, The Great Power of Small Nations, Elizabeth N. Ellis (Peoria) delves into the captivating stories of the numerous smaller Native American nations that played a pivotal role in shaping the development of the Gulf South. Drawing upon extensive archival research and oral histories, Ellis weaves a narrative that chronicles how diverse Indigenous peoples, including the Biloxis, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Houmas, Mobilians, and Tunicas, exerted their influence and often challenged the growth of colonial Louisiana. At the heart of the book lies the exploration of Native nation-building and international diplomacy, as Ellis argues that Native American migration and practices of offering refuge to migrants in crisis played a crucial role in enabling Native nations to survive the violence of colonization. Indeed, these practices not only fortified their survival but also elevated them to great power.

As European settlers began to arrive in the Indigenous homelands at the turn of the eighteenth century, these small nations, often referred to as petites nations by the French, skillfully pulled colonists into their political and social systems, thereby steering the course of early Louisiana's development. In some instances, the same strategies that aided Native peoples in enduring colonization in the eighteenth century, such as frequent migration, coexistence with foreign nations, and embracing outsiders onto their lands, have posed challenges for their contemporary descendants in their quest for federal acknowledgment and full rights as Native American peoples.

Through her meticulous research and compelling storytelling, Ellis offers a profound exploration of Native power, both in the past and in the present. The Great Power of Small Nations provides a fresh perspective on the formidable and resilient Native nations who contributed to the shaping of the modern Gulf South, challenging our understanding of history and illuminating the ongoing struggles and triumphs of these communities.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781512823097