Description
The Penobscot Dance of Resistance: Tradition in the History of a People is a carefully documented account of a Native American Nation that resisted United States assimilation and has succeeded in maintaining its cultural and historical integrity. The book is written by historian and folklorist Pauleena MacDougall who has studied the ways the Penobscot community has faced the challenges to their self-determination by successfully negotiating the Maine Indian Land Claims settlement. The author found that the Penobscot people relied on their cultural legacy of legend, linguistics, dance, and oral tradition in order to maintain their resistance. The result is a land base and a growing economy. It is through the metaphor of dance and music that the author finds the Penobscot ability to maintain their presence in New England in terms of sovereignty, cultural survival, and resistance.