Archeologist Sally Crum ’s book, her third updated edition since 1996, revisits the 13,000-year-old history of Indigenous Americans who came to occupy Colorado and the adjacent Four Corners region. Given recent archeological discoveries from carbon dating, tribal issues, and an effort to keep visitor guides current, Crum presents a detailed chronology and ethnographic portrait of Colorado’s tribal culture, migration, displacement, and modern fate.

The region’s tribal history is a triumph of adaptability. Beginning with Paleoindian mammoth hunters, Archaic hunters and gatherers and western Colorado Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont cultures, the timeline explains later historic migratory patterns shaping the rise of indigenous cultures throughout Colorado’s climate zones (high desert, grassy plains, and mountains). Colorado’s mountain tribes, Athabascans, and Plains tribes hunted bison for vital food sources and hides for shelter and clothing. But with the arrival of mid 16th century non-Native invaders (Spanish, then French traders and land-hungry settlers), the indigenous tribes faced major challenges in adaptability.

Crum’s narrative is engaging as she describes the fallout of European contact for natives and the introduction of the horse. For Utes and Apaches, horses were invaluable beasts of burden and became vital for hunting bison. Horses also became measurements of wealth and power.

The book follows tribes as treaties were signed and broken with the US military and tensions rose, and concludes with a brief overview of today’s tribal life.

Crum’s encyclopedic descriptions comparing lifeways (tools, clothing, food, shelter, beliefs, rituals, etc.) of tribal cultures is, at times, overwhelming and dry, and material is often repeated from earlier chapters. The narrative would benefit from more anecdotes, tribal lore, and interviews showcasing the importance of oral traditions in surviving tribal nations. However, Crum’s thorough portrait of indigenous nations over millennia remains a scholarly
achievement.

The book is well-suited for educators and students of Native American studies. Chapters conclude with suggestions for historic sites to tour, making for an accessible guidebook for the region’s visitors.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.