Description
Book SynopsisProfessional Indian tells the story of Eleazer Williams: missionary to the Mohawks, Indian confidence man, and icon of an era of dispossession and change that compelled many native peoples to refashion their identities in the wake of Anglo-American expansion.
Trade Review"The story of a fascinating, enigmatic character who inhabited the cultural borderlands between the Iroquois confederacy and the early American republic in an era of dramatic change. Well written and compulsively readable,
Professional Indian helps us see the insoluble dilemmas facing Native American communities in this period." * Eric Hinderaker, University of Utah *
"In this well-crafted, impressively researched biography, Michael Leroy Oberg has told Eleazer Williams's complete life story and told it well. In Oberg's hands, Williams was a serial liar who became a 'professional Indian' in order to make a living at a time of shrinking options for Indians.
Professional Indian will be the authoritative account of this significant figure in Iroquois history." * David J. Silverman, George Washington University *
Table of ContentsPreface
Prologue. On the Northern Line
Chapter 1. Pilgrim and Patriot
Chapter 2. Soldier of Christ
Chapter 3. The Prospect of Great and Good Things
Chapter 4. A Failed Performance
Chapter 5. The Life of a Misanthrope
Chapter 6. The Confidence Man
Conclusion. The Last of Eleazer Williams
List of Abbreviations
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
