The Darkest Period: The Kanza Indians and Their Last Homeland, 1846–1873 (Volume 273) (The Civilization of the American Indian Series)

How can we know who the Kanza really were, people who lived on the same land that we walk upon today? We cannot know for certain, but Parks provides a peak into their lives and a missing piece of US history. Indeed the book "is a story of human beings rather than historical abstractions." Early in the book is the description of a young Kanza mother crossing the same river that young modern mothers still cross today. It is an image that connects us to a common experience of travel while caring for a child. Parks bring us to a time and culture that could not be recorded by video and was not well documented. He takes the reader on a journey into the past and explores a culture through accounts of events, interaction, and past experience. Often the descriptions were by European settlers whose accounts contained descriptions filled with bias and ignorance. Yet, from the accounts and documentation of that time there is little interpretation by the author. Instead Parks guides us to observe through story and allegory and from this gain a glimpse of a people, their life, connection to the land, and a small piece of their story.

The cardboard packaging smelled like marijuana, just thought that was strange.Giving the book a five on the recommendation to read it, I haven’t started yet as I’m finishing “The Worst Hard Time”.

Ron Parks is a real authority on the Native American tribes of Kansas. What you read from him will always be accurate and sensitive to the reality the tribes have experienced.

Important book, especially for those of us living in Kansas.

Very little has been written about the history of The Kanza Indians, which is a surprise, considering that a state is named after the tribe. Ronald Parks' account of the final years of their inhabitation in Kansas is well researched and highly readable. The sign of a good book is when, upon finishing it, you want to continue reading more about the subject, and Parks' 'The Darkest Period' made me want to continue researching the history of the Kanza nation.