Description
Book SynopsisIn the nineteenth century, nearly all Native American men living along the southern New England coast made their living travelling the world's oceans on whaleships. Highlighting the shifting racial ideologies that shaped the lives of these whalemen, Nancy Shoemaker shows how the category of “Indian” was as fluid as the whalemen were mobile.
Trade ReviewChallenging earlier studies that focus almost entirely on the exploitative aspects of whaling or on the stereotypical images of Indian harpoonists, the author shows that Native Americans served at every level of the industry, including as captains of ships."" -
Choice""Immeasurably improve[s] our knowledge of Native American whalers, their lives, and their work. No doubt [this book] will become [a] historical classic."" -
Journal of Pacific History""Meticulously researched and skillfully structured."" -
Journal of American History""[A] rich, detailed, and nuanced portrait of Native American whalemen."" -
International Journal of Maritime History""This outstanding book . . . exemplifies the best of new oceanic history."" -
The New England Quarterly""[An] outstanding and wide-ranging work that should offer a lot to geographers interested in how cultural encounters and the contingencies of race played out in one of the world's first truly globalized and mobile industries."" -
Journal of Historical Geography""A monumental, erudite study of a fleeting industry that was buttressed by a racial and ethnic mosaic. . . . A well-told tale of prejudice, perseverance, and pride of accomplishment. . . . A welcome addition to the literature of whaling and maritime history."" -
The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord""Shoemaker is a social historian extraordinaire. . . . This is an impressive book that places Native Americans in the midst of global history and sheds new light on the shifting boundaries of race and indigeneity in the nineteenth century. It makes an important contribution to the scholarship of race, indigenous peoples, labor, and maritime history."" -
Western Historical Quarterly
