Melissa Otis

The Adirondacks have been an Indigenous homeland for millennia, and the presence of Native people in the region was obvious but not well documented by Europeans, who did not venture into the interior between the seventeenth and early nineteenth centuries. Yet, by the late nineteenth century, historians had scarcely any record of their long-lasting and vibrant existence in the area. With Rural Indigenousness, Otis shines a light on the rich history of Algonquian and Iroquoian people, offering the first comprehensive study of the relationship between Native Americans and the Adirondacks. While Otis focuses on the nineteenth century, she extends her analysis to periods before and after this era, revealing both the continuity and change that characterize the relationship over time. Otis argues that the landscape was much more than a mere hunting ground for Native residents; rather, it a “location of exchange,” a space of interaction where the land was woven into the fabric of their lives as an essential source of refuge and survival. Drawing upon archival research, material culture, and oral histories, Otis examines the nature of Indigenous populations living in predominantly Euroamerican communities to identify the ways in which some maintained their distinct identity while also making selective adaptations exemplifying the concept of “survivance.” In doing so, Rural Indigenousness develops a new conversation in the field of Native American studies that expands our understanding of urban and rural indigeneity.

Both Haudenosaunee women were able to successfully create and act in their own unique productions that asked their audience to suspend their expectations of American Indian women. They negotiated and lived within Euro-American society while remaining identifiably indigenous. Performing gave these two Iroquoian women the ability to earn respectable wages, have a rewarding career, and to have limited opportunities for a political voice. In addition, performing offered them the opportunity to have unique experiences amongst the dominant culture that was on the same socio-economic level. For indigenous performers entertainment

capitals like New York City could also provide a stage to educate both tourists and locals about the richness and benefits of their culture, especially through the arts. These two Haudenosaunee voices, along with many others, reminded the Anglo-American public that indigenous history was part of the continent’s past. Their voices and bodies on the stage also told their audience there was disconnect between the script of the “vanishing Indian” and the reality of the production being performed directly in front of them.