Established stories of American Indian history tend to view the indigenous population as passive victims in the face of European industry and aggression. As David Silverman points out in his essay, Indians at the Center of Colonial American History, this is only one side of the story.

It is true that Indian populations were devastated by disease and that many were enslaved by colonisers. But documents in our collection also prove that some tribes used trade to hold significant power over Europeans and other tribes.