Archaeologists are increasingly called on to serve as public educators, which is a vital endeavor at a time when anti-intellectual federal overreach, funding cuts, and university austerity pose threats to our field. Additionally, given that a shocking 40% of Americans do not know that Indigenous people still exist today (Reclaiming Native Truth, https://rnt.firstnations.org/), it is imperative that the public has access to the oft-ignored history of Indigenous Americans. Native Americans of the Cuyahoga Valley: From Early Peoples to Contemporary Issues is an excellent step toward this educational goal. Written for the public, this edited volume answers commonly asked questions and addresses topics of confusion regarding Native peoples while also summarizing thousands of years of Indigenous history in a succinct and easily digestible text. In addition to its public appeal, this work situates Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley in a broader context, providing an excellent introduction to the history of the region both for students and academics at varying levels of familiarity with the region. Written with clear prose and a purposeful tone, this text offers a much-needed resource to the communities of northeastern Ohio and beyond.

The book begins with an introduction to the region, the chapter authors, and a history of the book’s development. A brief but informative discussion on terminology and names used in the text provides important and useful information for readers. The first chapter serves as an excellent start to the volume by discussing the contemporary Native American community in northeastern Ohio. This chapter introduces readers to Native interviewees of diverse tribes and nations from across the country who now live in or have recent ties to the region. This engaging and informative discussion includes insights and stories provided by interviewees, accompanied by beautiful photos, some of which appear in full color; the brief biographies of the interviewees are presented at the end of the chapter.

The second chapter efficiently and effectively introduces readers to the field of archaeology before they dive into chapter 3, a summary of about 13,000 years of archaeology in northeastern Ohio. Written by Brian G. Redmond, it succinctly weaves together a plethora of information while describing specific case studies and providing excellent photos and figures; indeed, it would serve brilliantly as a template for others wanting to synthesize archaeological knowledge from other regions into a cohesive narrative for the public. Chapter 4 discusses both the value of private collections and the responsibilities of collectors, providing a crucial resource for collectors and avocational archaeologists. Chapter 5 presents the detailed history of northeast Ohio from the mid-eighteenth through the early nineteenth century, and chapter 6 discusses the history of investigation into Native paths and trails of the region. Chapter 7 effectively details the history of federal government policies and Native peoples before and during the mid- to late twentieth century on both a local and regional scale. This chapter provides vital information for Americans today—a history that is often suppressed in schools and in the media. The final chapter discusses how the public views and remembers Native American peoples, illustrating why it is not just important but also imperative for scholars and academics to write for the public.

It is no accident that a narrative of Indigenous disconnection persists in northeast Ohio. As Redmond (p. 95) asks, “One of the greatest questions derived from our archaeological research is: What happened to the Whittlesey, Sandusky, and other precontact tradition peoples in northern Ohio?” Redmond’s answer is that the material record seems to end “abruptly” around AD 1600 and that early historical texts “describe a land essentially abandoned of permanent Native American occupation for almost a century” (p. 95). Large-scale abandonment throughout much of Ohio and Indigenous disconnection from their homelands form a narrative that archaeologists, historians, and governments have perpetuated for centuries. Archaeologists have, either knowingly or otherwise, assumed historical text as fact; these texts have been seemingly corroborated by uncertain radiocarbon dates or dates deemed a product of “contaminated” samples. Some archaeologists have begun to scrutinize this narrative, inviting modern techniques and theoretical approaches to investigate large-scale migration; indeed, critical reanalysis of the archaeological record is long overdue.

This lingering question relates to a crucial element missing from this book—the perspective of Native American tribes and nations with historic homelands in Ohio. While the volume’s first chapter converses with contemporary Native inhabitants, the lack of dialogue with tribal governments of displaced Native communities and discussion around NAGPRA and repatriation is sorely felt and would have made an invaluable addition to this text. This volume demonstrates the advancements archaeology has made in recent years, but there is certainly more to be done to find new paths forward in collaboration with descendant tribes and nations.