Deerskins and Duffels documents the trading relationship in the eighteenth century between the Creek Indians and the Anglo-American peoples who settled in what is now the southeastern United States. The Creeks were the largest Indian nation in the Southeast, and through their trade alliance with the British colonies, they became the dominant Native power in the area.
 

The deerskin trade became the economic lifeblood of the Creeks after European contact. This book is the first to examine extensively the Creek side of this trade, especially the impact of commercial hunting on all aspects of Indian society. British trade is examined as well: the major traders and trading companies, how goods were taken to the Indians, how the traders lived, and how trade was used as a diplomatic tool. The author also discusses the Creek-Anglo cooperation in the trade of Indian slaves that resulted in the virtual destruction of the Native peoples of Florida. This second edition features a new introduction by the author.

Kathryn E. Holland Braund is a professor of history at Auburn University. She is the coauthor of William Bartram on the Southeastern Indians, available in a Bison Books edition.

“Will stand as a prominent landmark in the study of southeastern Indians during the colonial era. This book captures the importance and complexity of Creek trade with Anglo-America, shedding new light on the operation of the deerskin market and on its impact upon Indian society.”—William and Mary Quarterly

“An important contribution to our understanding of the influence of the deerskin trade on Creek and Anglo-American relations in the eighteenth-century Southeast.”—Journal of Southern History

“This well-written book is essential for understanding the mechanics and impact of European trade on the Creek and all Southeastern Indians.”—Ethnohistory

“Enlightening and insightful. . . . [Braund’s work] raises questions and addresses issues of fundamental importance in our quest to understand the development of the American nation in the eighteenth century.”—Southern Historian

“A solid contribution to the history of the southern frontier. It will be the standard by which future scholarship on the topic is measured.”—Georgia Historical Quarterly