Encyclopedia of Rhode Island Indians

Book excerpt: There is a great deal of information on the native peoples of the United States, which exists largely in national publications. Since much of Native American history occurred before statehood, there is a need for information on Native Americans of the region to fully understand the history and culture of the native peoples that occupied Rhode Island and the surrounding areas. The first section is contains an overview of early history of the state and region. The second section contains an A to Z dictionary of tribal articles and biographies of noteworthy Native Americans that have contributed to the history of Rhode Island. The third section contains several selections from the classic book, A Century of Dishonor, which details the history of broken promises made to the tribes throughout the country during the early history of America. The fourth section offers the publishers opinion on the government dealings with the Native Americans, in addition to a summation of government tactics that were used to achieve the suppression of the Native Americans.