By the Fire We Carry : The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land

Hailed as 'breathtaking' and 'a triumph' by Noreen Masud, this compelling work of investigative journalism and American history intertwines two narratives: the forced relocation of Native Americans to treaty lands in the nation's early days, and a 1990s small-town murder that led to a landmark Supreme Court decision reaffirming Native rights to those lands over a century later. Described as 'a fiery account as chilling as a legal thriller' by Tiya Miles, and praised for its thorough research by Caroline Dodds Pennock, this book offers a gripping exploration of a complex and often overlooked aspect of American history.

Prior to 2020, American Indian reservations comprised approximately 55 million acres of US land, a stark contrast to the nearly 200 million acres designated as National Forests. This disparity highlights how the emerging nation prioritised land for trees over Indigenous peoples. In the 1830s, the Muscogee people were forcibly exiled at gunpoint, relocated halfway across the continent with a promise that their new land would be theirs indefinitely. However, this pledge was broken when Oklahoma was established on Muscogee territory, with the state claiming the reservation had ceased to exist.

Over a century later, a legal case involving a Muscogee citizen sentenced to death for murdering another tribal member on what was argued to be reservation land brought this issue to the forefront. The ensuing legal battle culminated in a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that would ultimately reaffirm the existence of multiple reservations covering nearly half of Oklahoma's land, including the author's own Cherokee Nation.

In 'By the Fire We Carry', Rebecca Nagle meticulously chronicles the generations-long struggle for tribal land and sovereignty in eastern Oklahoma. By weaving together the contemporary legal fight with historic acts of Indigenous resistance, Nagle has crafted a seminal work of American history that sheds light on the ongoing fight for justice on Native land.

Product Information:

Book ISBN:	9780008725006
Book Author:	Rebecca Nagle
Book Format:	Hardback
Book Imprint:	William Collins
Book Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Book Dimensions:	241 x 164 x 33 cm
Book Publication Date:	2024-12-09
Book Pagination:	352 pages
Book Weight:	560g