Introduction

Chapter 1 provides an orientation to the history and historiography of the Catawba people. It places the present work in the context of previous research concerning the Catawba Nation, and highlights the need for carefully evaluating and constructing narratives of change and persistence in treatments of American Indian history. Two terms used throughout the book to designate collective entities, “Nation” and “community,” are defined with reference to the works of ethnohistorians, sociologists, and anthropologists.