The North-Americans of yesterday

The author presents a comparative survey of North American indigenous peoples, synthesizing ethnological and archaeological reports, museum collections, and personal field experience. He describes life customs, material culture, and regional variations while arguing against simple race-differentiation and rigid Paleolithic/Neolithic classifications; he critiques the use of polished stone tools as a universal chronological marker. Discussion includes theories of migration tied to preglacial land configurations, the uneven development of technologies among groups, and summaries of tribal stocks and sub-stocks, supported by numerous illustrations and an appendix listing tribes.