The Texas Indians.

The Texas Indians. By David La Vere. Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students. (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2004. Pp. xiv, 293. $29.95, ISBN 1-58544-301-8.)

Most Americans who associate Texas with cowboys rather than Indians would be surprised that there are still Indian nations in the state and that they have played a significant role in its history. David La Vere has synthesized a tremendous amount of material from secondary sources into a very readable account of their history and culture. The scope of the book, like the state, is vast. La Vere begins with the earliest appearance of Indians in Texas, and he grounds his description of them in the larger context of the peopling of North America. He notes the distinctions between the hunting populations of East Texas and the Pueblo-influenced agriculturalists in West Texas. He demonstrates how the varied terrain of the state and the various cultural influences of neighboring Indian groups formed distinctive cultures among the Texas Indians and describes the complex trading relationships and interactions among them.

The arrival of Spanish explorers and missionaries brought new trade goods and diseases, and Apache raiders from the north disrupted trade routes. In the resulting turmoil of warfare, disease, and Spanish attempts to convert Indians to Christianity and put them in missions, Indian populations declined. Several groups, notably the Jumanos, seemingly disappeared completely. Adding to the disruption were the movements of eastern Indians displaced by English and French settlements. Choctaw, Chickasaws, Alabama-Coushattas (Creeks), and Cherokees arrived in Texas, driving many groups to flee to the west.

The American period saw the emergence of the unique political nature of Texans--independent, contentious, greedy for land and freedom, and contemptuous of Indians. The admission of Texas to the United States in 1845 came at a time when Americans were determined to subdue Indians and confine them to reservations. The resulting warfare on the southern Plains finally led to Indian settlement on the Brazos and Clear Fork Reserves by 1859. But when Texas raiders attacked the Brazos Reserve, the U.S. agent moved residents of both reservations to Indian Territory across the Red River. Texas was then virtually free of Indians. La Vere brings the saga to a close with brief summaries of the current status of the Alabama-Coushattas, Tiguas, and Kickapoos who constitute the only three officially recognized Indian nations in Texas. Their status has been a matter of contention between the State of Texas and the United States government.

La Vere has produced a masterful synthesis of history, archaeology, and anthropology that lays out the very complex story of why there are so many cowboys and so few Indians in Texas. Written in a lively style, it should appeal to a wide, general audience, we hope, who will learn much that they did not know before and come to appreciate the often tragic fate of Texas's original inhabitants.

CLARA SUE KIDWELL

University of Oklahoma