What Books On Michigan Explore Native American History?

My sources to learn more about the Native peoples of Michigan’s past are a mix of historical and more scholarly work. But my two favorite stories about the Native peoples of Michigan’s past are very intimate and scholarly. I like to pair a regional history with an Indigenous-authored interpretation of the same time period – ie. a tribal history of that region.

For more general stories, I look at works such as 'The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1654-1817' for stories of alliances, how a particular place was used by tribes over time, etc. Then I can turn to Schoolcraft's 'Algic Researches' for song, place name, historical info, etc from the 19th century, which I can then cross reference with current tribal accounts and histories. Oh yes, tribal histories and even local museum or tribal published works such as a Saginaw Chippewa book, a Little Traverse Bay Bands book, even for specific bands within those tribes, along with work by tribal authors of history, are so good for stories too, mixed with academic scholarship such as various ethnohistorical studies (especially ones done by people at Univ of Mich and Mich State Univ and published by the university presses) as well as archaeological studies of a particular site, etc for precontact occupations as well as removal era history.

In reading about the history of particular regions or local tribes, I seek out the tribal histories, as well as the many museum publications. Many Michigan tribes have published booklets, cultural guides, and even a number of essays (Saginaw Chippewa and Little Traverse Bay Bands, for example). Archaeological and ethnohistorical studies, many of which are published by the University of Michigan Press and the Michigan State University Press, cover a lot of ground in terms of pre-contact settlement patterns, as well as removals of Native peoples from the region. Mix these with the primary sources and the modern scholarship by a variety of different authors, and you will have a rich and multifaceted look at the history of the Native peoples of Michigan.

I am personally super interested in reading about Native American (Indigenous) people, particularly because there are so many different tribes in Michigan and a lot of really cool books written about them.

A solid historical foundation to how Michigan fit within the larger Great Lakes world is ‘The Middle Ground’ by Richard White. Written for the scholar and historian alike, White masterfully brings to life the complex world of early 17th century interactions between Indigenous peoples and French colonists and later Europeans. White does an excellent job of following several key figures and modeling how different historical figures interacted with one another over time. Schoolcraft’s ‘Algic Researches’ provides a wealth of early 19th century historical information and old ethnography concerning the Ojibwe and other native groups who once resided in Michigan. These primary sources must, however, be read in conjunction with later, more respectful secondary sources.

Benton-Banai, Edward. The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway. Minor gasps of excitement to recommend two seminal Indigenous history texts, then somewhat back to normal after that. The many stories and oral traditions of the Ojibwe are eloquently presented by Benton-Banai in The Mishomis Book (2010) and by Basil Johnston in Ojibway Heritage (2001). I’ve mentioned before the work of Bruce G. Trigger in relation to the Iroquoian-speaking peoples, particularly the Huron (also known as the Wendat). The Children of Aataentsic (2013) is a thoughtfully written scholarly history of the Huron that in many ways is easier reading than some other, more seemingly current sources. I think people would greatly profit from learning about tribal histories, including that of Michigan tribes, from a variety of sources, books, scholarly work, primary sources, and most importantly Indigenous authors, all, hopefully, read with due respect. There are many other history books on Michigan and her tribes, as well as books by Michigan State and University of Michigan presses, tribal and local historians and museums, tribal archives and websites (as the Ziibiwing Center, Keweenaw Bay Tribal archives, etc.). Some of these are relatively readily available, but others are obscure, published in small numbers, and actually quite valuable. So, read ’em all!

If I wanted to put together a short, practical reading list for someone, I would suggest three different approaches to reading about the region: a regional synthesis, early sources, and Indigenous storytellers. As for a regional synthesis of the Great Lakes, I would recommend The Middle Ground by Richard White. For early primary sources, interviews, and songs from 19th century sites in Michigan, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft's Algic Researches is a useful resource to approach with a critical eye. For living Indigenous perspectives on Ojibwe culture and history in the region, I would start with The Mishomis Book by Edward Benton-Banai and Ojibway Heritage by Basil Johnston.

Beyond these books, I recommend that people visit local tribal cultural centers and museums (like the Ziibiwing Center in Mt. Pleasant, or the Keweenaw Bay Cultural Center and Museum). Most tribes have their own websites, and many have lists of recommended reading as well as archives and other resources. University presses in Michigan publish a lot of specialized studies about particular tribes, or about particular treaties or archaeological sites. For a research project, these can be very useful indeed. I recommend balancing academic books with tribal-authored narratives in order to get the best possible understanding of a particular subject.