Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America

Written by Pekka Hamalainen

Narrated by Kaipo Schwab

There is an old, deeply rooted story about America that goes like this: Columbus "discovers" a strange continent and brings back tales of untold riches. The European empires rush over, eager to stake out as much of this astonishing "New World" as possible. Though Indigenous peoples fight back, they cannot stop the onslaught. White imperialists are destined to rule the continent, and history is an irreversible march toward Indigenous destruction.

In Indigenous Continent, acclaimed historian Pekka Hämäläinen presents a sweeping counternarrative that shatters the most basic assumptions about American history. Shifting our perspective away from Jamestown, Plymouth Rock, the Revolution, and other well-trodden episodes on the conventional timeline, he depicts a sovereign world of Native nations whose members, far from helpless victims of colonial violence, dominated the continent for centuries after the first European arrivals.

Hämäläinen ultimately contends that the very notion of "colonial America" is misleading, and that we should speak instead of an "Indigenous America" that was only slowly and unevenly becoming colonial. Necessary listening for anyone who cares about America's past, present, and future, Indigenous Continent restores Native peoples to their rightful place at the very fulcrum of American history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Nov 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781696609029

Reviews for Indigenous Continent

[Jim Caldwell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very important book with a unique perspective. Must read part of North American history

[mkasmir26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m an American in his 30s and a history enthusiast my whole life, and until this book I had no real knowledge of the history of North America. The propaganda I heard as a child in American public schools contrasted with the actual facts I learned from this book: two completely different realities, but only this one is real. Also, the audio narrator was excellent and not at all dry which can be an issue with some historical audiobooks.