Van de Logt publishes book on monsters in oral traditions of the Native American Caddo
Published Jun 13, 2018Exploring the oral traditions of Native American Caddoan peoples, liberal arts associate professor Dr. Mark van de Logt’s new book, Monsters of Contact: Historical Trauma in Caddoan Oral Traditions, sheds knowledge on the impact of European colonialism on the Caddoan people.
In his book, Van de Logt argues that certain monsters found in Wichita, Pawnee, Arikara and Caddo stories depict events from the European invasions that caused disease, war, enslavement, starvation and death.
Published by the University of Oklahoma Press, the book has received praise from historian F. Todd Smith, who said, “In this fascinating and thought-provoking study, Mark van de Logt demonstrates how Native American oral traditions can be used successfully to augment the European-based historical record. By tying stories previously dismissed as Caddoan ‘fairy tales’ to documented historical events, the author reveals the Native Americans’ side of history.”
Van de Logt has been at Texas A&M at Qatar since 2012. He specializes in Native American history and culture with a long-standing interest in U.S. military history, the Gilded Age, the American West and Mexican history.
Written by Iman Abu-Rub, staff writer