Although cross-cultural encounter is often considered an economic or political matter, beauty, taste, and artistry were central to cultural exchange and political negotiation in early and nineteenth-century America. Contextualizing American writing in Indigenous space, Literary Indians highlights the significance of Indigenous aesthetic practice to American literary production.

Although cross-cultural encounter is often considered an economic or political matter, beauty, taste, and artistry were central to cultural exchange and political negotiation in early and nineteenth-century America. Contextualizing American writing in Indigenous space, Literary Indians highlights the significance of Indigenous aesthetic practice to American literary production.