Book review: National Geographic's 'Encyclopedia of American Indian History & Culture' is an amazing collection

My kids and I just started a unit about American Indians. So, when I was asked to review Nat Geo's Encyclopedia of American Indian History & Culture, I got excited. While we enjoy our history curriculum, any kind of extra reading/videos/activities I can integrate into our social studies is welcome and adds greatly to the educational experience I'm trying to give my kids.

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There are a loooooot of different American Indian cultures and, while this book doesn't talk about all of them, it does cover more than 160 of the tribes living in the United States and Canada. 160 is a lot and all 300+ of these pages are used to help readers learn about the tribes.

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That's right, folks! This book is large at 304 whopping pages! No fear, though; it's full of hundreds (maybe thousands?) of color illustrations and photos. Also, so much information.

Let's break down how the info in this book is arranged so it makes sense:

The 160+ tribes are organized into 8 different regions and each section talks about the tribes within its region

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Many sections are broken down like this:

1. An intro gives a brief overview of the tribe's history.
2. A map shows ancestral lands.
3. A timeline highlights important tribe events.
4. "In the Know" panels talk about unique cultural aspects of the tribe.
5. Key facts share the tribal name's pronunciation and fun phrases in the tribe's language.
6. A "Did You Know?" photo tells about amazing events or cultural facts of the tribe.
7. A traditional tribal story is shared at the end of the chapter.

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I was fascinated to read more about the Wampanoag tribe's chief Massasoit. He's the man who gave 12,000 acres of land to the Puritans when they arrived in Massachusetts. His tribe taught the new settlers how to rotate their crops. This tribe also set the amazing example (which wasn't followed until hundreds of years later) of looking up to women and having them participate as rulers, even chiefs. Ta da! How's that for forward thinking?

Today, visitors can see some of Chief Massasoit's progeny as they help reenact the living exhibit at Plimouth Plantation, in Massachusetts. Or, if you can't travel as far as Massachusetts, you can read the writings of one of Chief Massasoit's descendants right here! Bet you didn't know I had such a famous ancestor, huh?

Image from Amazon

Chief Massasoit is just one of the many American Indians this book highlights. This book is seriously a wealth of information and one I'm delighted to have in our home. While the killings, battles, and other sad historical events are included, they are gone over in a factual manner. Encyclopedia of American Indian History & Culture's language is clean and I've felt totally comfortable having my kids read/look at it.

Book breakdown:
304 pages
Full-color (and a few black and white) photographs and illustrations
Best for ages: 8 to adult
Educational factor: high
Religious content: absolutely
Parents could be concerned about: this book deals with the happy and hard histories of American Indians in a factual, without theatrics, manner