The Assiniboine

Denig became a fur trader at a young age exploring the Missouri Valley whlle working among its trading posts. While living among the Assiniboine, he married the daughter of a headman and had childen by her and by a second wife. Mastering the language, he was able to answer the questions sent out by Schoolcraft for his compilation on American Indian tribes. History Of The Indian Tribes Of The United States V1: Their Present Condition And Prospects, And A Sketch Of Their Ancient Status The answers Schoolcraft received from Denig must have been among the best.Denig wrote at length about topics as diverse an infanticide and naming practices. Anthropology was in its infancy with a goal of recording 'everything' about indigenous people, and Denig worked hard to include all that he had learned about the Assiniboine.The result is a book along the lines of Schoolcraft's questionnaire, giving us invaluable information on the Assiniboine before the reservation period. Not the easiest reading but a treasure of information on Northern Plains tribes as well as the Assiniboine. For further information on the other Northern Plains tribes, see  Five Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri: Sioux, Arickaras, Assiniboines, Crees, Crows (The Civilization of the American Indian Series) .ernestschusky.com

A story of my people when we were still free

I am afraid I have a bit of a biased opinion, The author of these books was my 4 times great-grandfather who was married to a member of the Assiniboine Indian nation. I wanted to read the books to enhance my connection to my ancestry.