This encyclopedia is an attempt to illuminate in a comprehensive yet readable way some of the complex cultures of the native peoples of North America.

In school, the author learned that America was a pristine “wilderness” waiting for the so-called right people to come along and build a “civilization.” Of course, the truth is that millions of people were already living here. In fact, they had been here for thousands - perhaps tens of thousands - of years before Eriksson, Cabot, and Coronado.