A startling look at historical truths and romantic falsehoods about Native Americans and their relationship to nature. The idea of the Native American living in perfect harmony with nature is one of the most cherished contemporary myths. It has provided an important corrective to individual and corporate carelessness towards the natural world. But is there truth in this larger-than-life image? Not very much, according to Shepard Krech. The Ecological Indian surveys North American environmental history to explore the relation between humans and the rest of nature before and after the arrival of Europeans, addressing such fascinating questions as: Were Pleistocene-era humans responsible for the extinction of large mammals like the mastodon? Did the Hohokam of Arizona destroy their society by overirrigating and ultimately oversalinating their crops? What role did Native Americans play in the near-extinctions of the deer, the beaver, and the buffalo? How did they use fire? Was the natural "Eden" that awed the first European visitors just a feature of very low-population density? Shedding invaluable light both on conservation and ecology in Native America and on fierce contemporary debates, this groundbreaking book is essential reading for all who care about the environment, humans, and their history together.