Lucy Eldersveld Murphy is Professor of History at the Ohio State University, Newark.

'Lucy Eldersveld Murphy offers valuable insights into the assimilation of ethnic groups into American society in this major study of mixed-lineage Creole and indigenous people in the Great Lakes region. Using solid research and perceptive analysis, [she] provides an excellent account of the impact of land ownership, gender roles, and ethnic identification on the assimilation process, thus reconfirming her role as a leading scholar of Creole and mixed-lineage women in the Upper Midwest.' R. David Edmunds, Watson Professor of American History, University of Texas, Dallas

• Introduction; 1. 'The rightful owners of the soil': colonization and land; 2. 'To intermeddle in political affairs': new institutions, elections, and lawmaking; 3. 'Damned yankee court and jury': more new institutions, keeping order and peace; 4. Public mothers: women, networks, and changing gender roles; 5. 'A humble type of people': economic adaptations; 6. Blanket claims and family clusters: autonomy, land, migration, and persistence; Conclusion; Epilogue.