Roanoke and Wampum: Topics in Native American Heritage and Literatures focuses on the discourses about selected legacies and writings predominantly of eastern Native North America. Ron Welburn skillfully approaches diverse subjects through scholarly and personal modes. More specifically, the book begins with the author reflecting on the sign talk of fifties television's Pahoo-Ka-Ta-Wah, and it concludes with a discussion of a narrative by thirties Chippewa author Thomas Whitecloud. Other essays inquire about the southeastern Blackfoot, Jeffrey Amherst, and literary theories. Still others discuss Indian slaves, the Great Seal of the United States, Mildred Haun's Melungeon novel, and nineteenth-century Indian interviewers. A section on William Apess features poetry and a scholarly essay.
