The Ordeal of the Longhouse: The Peoples of the Iroquois League in the Era of European Colonization

The Ordeal of the Longhouse is an excellent start to gaining an understanding of how the Iroquois were affected by the onset of Europeans in their territory. This book does an excellent job of looking at Iroquoian culture and how it developed both before and after Europeans arrived. Europeans changed the cultures of all groups that they interacted with as each took on some of the characteristics of the other and the Iroquois were not exception. Richter takes great detail to play out the various council negotiations and treaty discussions that led to the formation of the five nations council in the view of the Europeans and how this affected diplomacy in the new world. The British, Dutch and French all were forced to deal with the five nations and having a book that so expertly captures their negotiations is wonderful. This is an essential study for anyone who wishes to understand colonial history. While newer books have been coming out on the subject this still remains the gold standard and one of the excellent studies on the Iroquois. A great addition to any colonial or native American historians library.

I've found this book to be both insightful and easy to understand. Though this is a well researched and referenced academic text it is accessible to the average reader, assuming an interest in the subject matter. The Iroquois were a centerpiece of North American colonial life and I would highly suggest this book for those interested in History or Anthropology, as Dr. Richter takes broad approach to his analysis and documents cultural practices and history of interest to many disciplines.

Daniel Richter, in this astonishing book, does an excellent job explaining social, political and economical aspects of the Iroquois people with strong evidence. This book is a resutl of a big reserach and Richter's dedication to the subject. I would recommend this book not only to students who need to take Native American History, but also to anyone who is interested in learning about the Iroquoi's life and their impacts on the French, the England, and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries. Even though i am not a native speaker, i really enjoyed reading this book because of Richter's plain English.