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IN THEIR OWN WORDS: THE 20TH CENTURY EXPERIENCE OF THE ONEIDAS IN WISCONSIN The Oneidas of Wisconsin tell their story in this richly diverse contemporary history. "A Nation within a Nation: Voices of the Oneidas in Wisconsin" (hardcover: $34.95, ISBN 978-0-87020-454-8) gathers first-person accounts, biographical essays, and scholars' investigations focusing on the period of 1900-1969. In the wake of removal from their native New York, the Oneida people settled near what is now Green Bay, on 65,000 acres of commonly held land. But in 1887, the Dawes Act paved the way for a devastating break-up of the reservation, and within a lifetime the Oneidas saw their land holdings plummet to less than 200 acres. Throughout struggles with poverty, oppression, and government interference and assimilationism, Wisconsin Oneidas remained connected as a community and true to their Iroquois roots. They also refused to relinquish their dream of reclaiming their land, and in recent years have not only stopped the land-loss, but have begun to reverse it. Editors L. Gordon McLester III and Laurence M. Hauptman show how Wisconsin Oneida leadership has helped to shape history — not only for Native Americans, but for Wisconsin and the United States. A story of survival and of the Native American quest for recognition of sovereignty, "A Nation within a Nation" is community history at its best. Media: For review copies of the book, author or book photos, or book event information, please contact Melanie Roth, Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 816 State St., Madison, Wis. 53706; (608) 264-6465; e-mail: melanie.roth@wisconsinhistory.org. The Wisconsin Historical Society Press, publishing the best of Wisconsin history and culture, since 1855
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