Did you know that small Native American nations had the power to dictate the terms of French colonizat
ion in the Gulf South region?
Elizabeth Ellis, an Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University and a citizen of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, joins us on an exploration of the uncovered and recovered histories of the more than 40 distinct and small Native nations who called the Gulf South region home during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Ellis is the author of The Great Power of Small Nations: Indigenous Diplomacy in the Gulf South.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.
Episode Summary
Elizabeth Ellis, an Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University and a citizen of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, joins us to investigate the uncovered and recovered histories of the more than 40 distinct and small Native nations who called the Gulf South region home during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Using details from her book, The Great Power of Small Nations: Indigenous Diplomacy in the Gulf South, Liz reveals information about the Gulf South during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; The cultures and diplomacy of the Gulf South’s “Petite Nations” of Indians; And, details about how the Petite Nations interacted with French colonizers and shaped the terms of their colonization.
What You’ll Discover
- The Gulf South, 1680-1780
- Indigenous power in the Gulf South
- Petite Nations & Indigenous power in early America
- Size of early American Indigenous nations
- The Gulf South before European colonists
- Making sense of European colonists and traders
- Circulation and sharing of knowledge among Indigenous peoples
- European slave trade and Indigenous people stealing
- The arrival of Iberville and the French in the Gulf South
- Incorporation of early French colonists into Indigenous spaces
- How the Petite Nations shaped European colonization
- The Natchez War, 1729
- The erasure and recovery of Indigenous histories
Links to People, Places, and Publications
Sponsor Links
Support Ben Franklin’s World
Join Us!! Become a Ben Franklin’s World Member. Subscribe and help us bring history right to your ears!
Complementary Episodes
Episode 037: Kathleen DuVal, Independence Lost:Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution
Episode 064: Brett Rushforth, Native American Slavery in New France
Episode 082: Alejandra Dubcovsky, Information & Communication in the early American South
Episode 139: Andrés Reséndez, The Other Slavery: Indian Enslavement in the Americas
Episode 171: Jessica Stern, Native Americans, British Colonists, and Trade in North America
Episode 233: Gwenn Miller, A History of Russian America
Episode 251: Cameron Strang, Frontiers of Science
Episode 303: Matthew Powell, La Pointe-Krebs House
Time Warp Question
In your opinion, what might have happened if the Natchez War had never happened? How might the diplomacy between Gulf South Indigenous peoples and the French have been different?
Questions, Comments, Suggestions
Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion?
Get in Touch! Send me an e-mail, tweet, or leave a comment.
Listen!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Why Not Listen regularly through one of these apps?
| 
| 
| 
Ratings & Reviews
If you enjoy this podcast, please give it a rating and review.
Positive ratings and reviews help bring Ben Franklin’s World to the attention of other history lovers who may not be aware of our show
Click here to rate & review on iTunes | Click here to rate & review on Stitcher
Ben Franklin’s World is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. To advertise on Ben Franklin’s World contact sales@advertisecast.com.