Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Chicago Review Press (2009), Edition: 1St Edition, 336 pages
Description
In 2009, New York observed the 400-year anniversary of Henry Hudson's September 1609 discovery of Manhattan Island. This book chronicles the event from the perspective of the people who met Hudson's boat--which they at first thought was surely a great waterfowl--floating. Using all available sources, including oral history passed down to today's Algonquins, Evan Pritchard tells the story from various perspectives: that of Hudson's body guard, scribe, and personal Judas, Robert Juet; that of Hudson himself; and that of the Eastern Algonquins who greeted Hudson as the fulfillment of ancient prophecies.
User reviews
LibraryThing member PhyllisHarrison
Evan Pritchard is a respected authority on Native American life and culture in the Hudson Valley. He has a long list of credits and credentials including teaching at Pace University, Vassar College and Marist College. He also is director of the Center for Algonquin Culture in the Catskill Mountains
Basically, the book traces the steps of Henry Hudson's voyages, through European writings including those of Henry Hudson's First Mate Robert Juet on their 1609 voyage of exploration of the New World. They journey through the area around what is today New York City and north, up the Hudson River. I find it a strange and interesting coincidence that Hudson's ship passed Manhattan Island on September 11.
To Pritchard's great credit, he has attempted to locate the anchorages and stopping places thorough the descriptions of the landscape as well as water depths. We have seen how the shores of our land have been greatly changed in our own lifetimes, through storms and man-made activity, but the author provides compelling evidence for accurately tracing Hudson's steps. Pritchard's knowledge of the many different tribes and languages as well as their legends (that the Europeans would be coming long before their arrival for example), provides very plausible explanations as to why Hudson's ship and crew would be welcomed as gods in one place and then, just a few miles up the river, attacked as a great threat. Of particular interest to me was the fate of one John Coleman, an important member of the crew, and his connection to Achter Kol, a place that seems to have had almost mystical as well as multiple historical connections to us down through the ages.
Evan Pritchard explores every word, sifting through the journals as an archeologist would for fragments of pottery and bone in the dust of the ages, educating us about the different tribes and cultures along the way, from mussels to clay pots and arrowheads, from ancient Native burial ground sites to the birth years and life facts of revered Native chiefs in the area.
The author also conducts tours of Manhattan to point out these places and has a guide book he has published called "Touring Native New York", with the emphasis on "Native", as in Native American. I will definitely take this tour myself when time permits.
My first difficulty with this book is that it is poorly edited.This is not strictly the author's fault unless he took on the task of editing it himself. Sentences are repeated and sometimes it seems unorganized. A new edition with better editing would greatly enhance the value of this gem.
My second issue is the inclusion of fictional accounts as they might have been written by the Native Americans and the many sentences with "might have", "could have" and "is possible". As a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, I like to keep the two strictly apart but perhaps Evan Pritchard needs a third category that might be called "Story Telling Based on Fact".
I would highly recommend this book to readers both young and old who are interested in learning about our country's beginnings and Native culture. There is a lot of information between the covers but this should not discourage those who can't keep their Siwanoy straight from their Munsees. Bear in mind that there is a lot of speculation and fictional writing in the book, but just go along for the ride, looking at this bewildering and terrifying new world through the eyes of some of the first European explorers. If you have an interest in history or live in the area, this book would be of speclal interest. Pritchard adds an intriguing twist to the end of the book with the continually resurfacing legend that Henry Hudson may have made it out of his final predicament (being set adrift to freeze or starve with his young son in Hudson Bay, Canada) to live his life out with Canadian First Nation people, notably the Cree. New archeological discoveries in Canada and DNA might finally provide some real answers. This is a unique book and should be available in every library but it may be better to buy it for yourself. There is just too much great information in here to get through in a quick read.
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of New York State. This book has praise from Joe Bruchac and Pete Seeger, legends themselves, who know and knew about Native American culture and the Hudson Valley. This alone might be enough to earn five stars, but the book itself has a few shortcomings. Basically, the book traces the steps of Henry Hudson's voyages, through European writings including those of Henry Hudson's First Mate Robert Juet on their 1609 voyage of exploration of the New World. They journey through the area around what is today New York City and north, up the Hudson River. I find it a strange and interesting coincidence that Hudson's ship passed Manhattan Island on September 11.
To Pritchard's great credit, he has attempted to locate the anchorages and stopping places thorough the descriptions of the landscape as well as water depths. We have seen how the shores of our land have been greatly changed in our own lifetimes, through storms and man-made activity, but the author provides compelling evidence for accurately tracing Hudson's steps. Pritchard's knowledge of the many different tribes and languages as well as their legends (that the Europeans would be coming long before their arrival for example), provides very plausible explanations as to why Hudson's ship and crew would be welcomed as gods in one place and then, just a few miles up the river, attacked as a great threat. Of particular interest to me was the fate of one John Coleman, an important member of the crew, and his connection to Achter Kol, a place that seems to have had almost mystical as well as multiple historical connections to us down through the ages.
Evan Pritchard explores every word, sifting through the journals as an archeologist would for fragments of pottery and bone in the dust of the ages, educating us about the different tribes and cultures along the way, from mussels to clay pots and arrowheads, from ancient Native burial ground sites to the birth years and life facts of revered Native chiefs in the area.
The author also conducts tours of Manhattan to point out these places and has a guide book he has published called "Touring Native New York", with the emphasis on "Native", as in Native American. I will definitely take this tour myself when time permits.
My first difficulty with this book is that it is poorly edited.This is not strictly the author's fault unless he took on the task of editing it himself. Sentences are repeated and sometimes it seems unorganized. A new edition with better editing would greatly enhance the value of this gem.
My second issue is the inclusion of fictional accounts as they might have been written by the Native Americans and the many sentences with "might have", "could have" and "is possible". As a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, I like to keep the two strictly apart but perhaps Evan Pritchard needs a third category that might be called "Story Telling Based on Fact".
I would highly recommend this book to readers both young and old who are interested in learning about our country's beginnings and Native culture. There is a lot of information between the covers but this should not discourage those who can't keep their Siwanoy straight from their Munsees. Bear in mind that there is a lot of speculation and fictional writing in the book, but just go along for the ride, looking at this bewildering and terrifying new world through the eyes of some of the first European explorers. If you have an interest in history or live in the area, this book would be of speclal interest. Pritchard adds an intriguing twist to the end of the book with the continually resurfacing legend that Henry Hudson may have made it out of his final predicament (being set adrift to freeze or starve with his young son in Hudson Bay, Canada) to live his life out with Canadian First Nation people, notably the Cree. New archeological discoveries in Canada and DNA might finally provide some real answers. This is a unique book and should be available in every library but it may be better to buy it for yourself. There is just too much great information in here to get through in a quick read.
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Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009
Physical description
336 p.; 6 inches
ISBN
1571782222 / 9781571782229