In reminiscing about his early years on Minnesota's White Earth Reservation at the turn of the century, John Rogers reveals much about the life and customs of the Chippewas. He tells of food-gathering, fashioning bark canoes and wigwams, curing deerskin, playing games, and participating in sacred rituals. These customs were to be cast aside, however, when he was taken to a white school in an effort to assimilate him into white society. In the foreword to this new edition, Melissa L. Meyer places Roger's memoirs within the story of the White Earth Reservation.

This compelling interdisciplinary history of an Anishinaabe community at the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota offers a subtle and sophisticated look at changing social, economic, and political relations among the Anishinaabeg and reveals how cultural forces outside of the reservation profoundly affected their lives.

"Enduring Nations" documents how tribal peoples have adapted to cultural change while shaping midwestern history. Examining the transformation of Native American communities, which often occurred in response to shifting government policy, the contributors explore the role of women, controversial tribal enterprises and economies, social welfare practices, and native peoples' frequent displacement to locations such as reservations and urban centers. Central to both past and contemporary discussions of Native American cultural change is whether Native American identity should be determined by genetics, shared cultural values, or a combination of the two.

Contributors are Bradley J. Birzer, Brenda J. Child, Thomas Burnell Colbert, Gregory Evans Dowd, R. David Edmunds, Brian Hosmer, Rebecca Kugel, James B. LaGrand, Melissa L. Meyer, Lucy Eldersveld Murphy, Alan G. Shackelford, Susan Sleeper-Smith, and Stephen Warren.