Voices From Colonial America Summary

Burgan, M. (2006). Voices from Colonial America: New York (1609-1776). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.

Michael Burgan’s non-fiction work, Voices from Colonial America: New York (1609-1776), provided with me a plethora of information regarding both the New York landscape, Native American Iroquois, and European settlers. This book contains eight different chapters that explore different concepts, such as Colonial Beginnings, Building a Dutch Colony, Years of Conflict, Colonial Life of the Dutch, and et cetera. These chapters build onto each other as the reader digs deeper into the text to find more about New York State’s history. In the introduction, Timothy J. Shannon, Ph.D., states, “It may be hard to believe now, but there was a

This book is centered on America’s colonization and as a result, the beginning chapters involve the relations colonists had with the indigenous people of America. As stated by the text, “Still, much is known about the Indians of New York. Two distinct groups emerged historically after the first millennium AD…” (10). This statement helps illustrate that there is a lot of information regarding the Native Americans within the novel and the world. By reading this text, one is able to receive an in-depth analysis of the struggles many Native American tribes faced alongside the coming of colonists.

Wiegand, P. (1993). Children and Primary Geography. London: Cassell.

Patrick Wiegang’s work, Children and Primary Geography, justifies the importance of teaching geography to students. Wiegang supports that children are first exposed to geography when they are introduced to a place. This work also addresses the environmental and spacial aspects of geography in relation to maps based on children. Weigang deduces that geography allows children to become aware of their surroundings. He also suggests that geography promotes a literate generation that understands the relationship between places, maps, migration and other human/environmental interactions.

Scholarly

This read provides the reader with an account of a Native American boy, Ohkwa'ri who tells on the older boys in the tribe. The front of the book depicts Ohkwa’ri with long dark hair and a tribal tattoo on his forehead. In the background, there is a slight emphasis on his tribe. This book also gives descriptions of people in the tribe, for example, when it states, “When Ohkwa’ri was very small, he had admired Grabber, who was five winters older than him. Grabber was straight-limbed and very strong. He was the fatest runner of all the young men, a hard worker, and a good hunter” (4). Adding into that, this book follows Ohkwa’ri as he to work to become a respected member of the Mohawk tribe.

Goble, P. (1984). The Gift of the Sacred Dog. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster.

This beautiful, illuminated rainbow children’s book by Paul Goble focuses on the Native American’s connection to nature. The book is covered with bold, vivd colors that attract the attention of the reader. In this story, the Natives were hungry and could not find the promised buffalo herds. As a result, a boy in the tribe ventures out to ask the Great Spirit for help. He told his parents that he was sad to see everyone suffering, so he decided to go plead to the Great Spirit for help. Ultimately, this book helps illustrate the beliefs of the Native Americans and how they viewed the the