The Only Land They Knew: The Tragic Story of the American Indians in the Old South

From the dust jacket: "The Only Land They Knew is the first full account of the Indians who lived in what became the Southern United States. From the arrival of Ponce de Leon in Florida in 1513 to the tragic Trail of Tears in the 1830s this book captures the history customs and contributions of the great tribes of the region: the Creeks Cherokees Chickasaws Seminoles Yamasees Powhatans and Catawbas. Wright describes these original Southerners in fascinating detail: their homes laws religions economies and their way of life. And he chronicles the waves of Spanish French British Africans and Americans whose arrival shattered this world of peaceful villages that once dotted the land from the Carolina low country to the Mississippi River. Rich in detail -- with illustrations maps and photographs -- The Only Land They Knew is a must-read book for anyone interested in American history in the American Indian and in the peoples of the Old South."