Native Nations by Kathleen Duval Summary

Native Nations reframes North American history through Indigenous power and sovereignty across 1,000 years. Kathleen DuVal traces the rise of ancient cities rivaling global urban centers, adaptation to climate shifts, and strategic diplomacy with European colonists. The book reveals how nations like the Mohawk controlled trade networks and the Kiowa regulated settler movement, emphasizing Indigenous agency in shaping the continent’s history.

This book is essential for history enthusiasts, educators, and anyone seeking a corrective to colonial narratives. It offers profound insights for readers interested in Indigenous resilience, pre-contact civilizations, and sovereignty struggles. DuVal’s accessible scholarship also benefits policymakers addressing contemporary Native rights.

Absolutely. Winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in History, the book masterfully combines rigorous research with narrative depth. DuVal’s focus on Indigenous perspectives—from ancient urban planning to modern sovereignty fights—provides a groundbreaking, non-Eurocentric view that challenges mainstream history texts.

DuVal examines sophisticated pre-Columbian metropolises like Cahokia and Moundsville, which rivaled contemporary global cities in size and complexity. These centers declined due to climate instability, leading to decentralized yet politically advanced societies that later influenced North American governance structures.

Native Nations counters victimhood tropes by centering Indigenous power: Mohawks dictated Dutch trade terms, Quapaws manipulated French colonists, and Shawnee leaders Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa forged pan-tribal alliances. DuVal argues colonization was neither inevitable nor rapidly decisive.

Sovereignty is the core theme—explored through persistent governance models like the egalitarian systems spreading from ancient cities. DuVal documents its evolution: Cherokee global diplomacy, Kiowa territorial control, and modern fights for self-determination, proving Native nations never ceded inherent authority.

She contextualizes violence and displacement within millennia of adaptation, noting: "By putting tragedies in a longer perspective, it makes the triumph more amazing." The narrative balances historical trauma with stories of cultural continuity, diplomatic ingenuity, and economic influence.

The book won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in History, the 2024 Cundill History Prize, the Bancroft Prize, and the Mark Lynton History Prize. These accolades recognize its paradigm-shifting research and narrative excellence.

DuVal links pre-colonial urban planning to contemporary sovereignty battles, showing how governance traditions endure. Modern museums and cultural centers preserving oral histories exemplify her thesis: "Native nations are still here," actively reclaiming narratives.

Key cases include:

• Mohawks: Dominated fur trade with the Dutch, swaying global markets.
• Kiowas: Controlled westward settler migration through strategic power.
• Shawnee brothers: Redefined pan-tribal identity to resist U.S. expansion.

A UNC Chapel Hill history professor, DuVal draws from Arkansas roots and prior books like Independence Lost. Her archival rigor—using tribal records and oral histories—ensures Indigenous perspectives drive the narrative, not European accounts.

The book equips readers to understand ongoing legal/cultural sovereignty fights—from land repatriation to language revitalization. By disproving "vanishing Indian" myths, DuVal empowers contemporary Native advocacy and reframes America’s origin story.