Native Nations

WINNER OF THE 2025 PULITZER PRIZE FOR HISTORY

WINNER OF THE 2024 CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE

Winner of the Bancroft Prize 2025

Winner of the Mark Lynton History Prize 2025

For centuries, Europeans assumed that indigenous Americans lacked the sophistication to build cities and establish hierarchies. For over a millennium, prior to and after the arrival of white colonialists, however, native nations had been adapting to changing climates, founding and abandoning urban centres, and forging complex, democratic societies.

In this magisterial new history of North America, Kathleen DuVal puts indigenous people back at the heart of the story. From the splendour of ancient cities like Cahokia and Moundsville to the careful diplomacy of native leaders in the face of colonial expansion, Native Nations reveals the diversity of indigenous civilisation and shows how a 1,000-year legacy still shapes America today, in struggles over sovereignty, climate, and indigenous rights.