A Deep Presence: 13,000 Years of Native American History — a new book by archaeologist Dr. Robert G. Goodby — tells the remarkable story of Native Americans in the Monadnock Region, from the remains of the oldest known dwellings in New England to the 4,000-year-old Swanzey Fish Dam still visible in the Ashuelot River. This compelling volume draws on Goodby’s thirty years of fieldwork and includes evidence from the archaeological record, written history, and the living traditions of today’s Abenaki people.
Richly illustrated with 60 striking, full-color photographs of excavations and artifacts, A Deep Presence gives evidence of the vast, complex social universe of Native people across northeastern North America and is an important record on the long history of New England’s first inhabitants. In addition, the book’s conversational tone makes it accessible to a wide audience, who are sure to be drawn in by Goodby’s first-person accounts of the discovery and excavation of archaeological sites.
“I know of few other writers who have paid such balanced attention to both the physical evidence of archaeology and what the indigenous people who live on this land and remain part of it have had to say. I also admire the poetic clarity of his writing, his ability to tell a story that — like the best of our traditional tales — both entertains and teaches.”
— Dr. Joseph Bruchac/Nokidahozid, author of Our Stories Remember
Goodby, a Professor of Anthropology at Franklin Pierce University, earned his PhD in anthropology from Brown University and has decades of experience excavating Native American archaeological sites in New England. He is a past president of the New Hampshire Archeological Society, a former trustee of the Mount Kearsarge Indian Museum, and served on the New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs.
A Deep Presence was published with financial support from the Harris Center’s 50th Anniversary Fund and the Historical Society of Cheshire County. The Harris Center is proud to have played a part in bringing this important new publication to the public.
ATTEND. A book launch is being held at the Historical Society of Cheshire County in Keene on Monday, October 11, 2021, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Learn more & register here.
LISTEN. Dr. Goodby recently discussed his book on the radio station Moccasin Tracks. Listen here.
PURCHASE. Order your copy of A Deep Presence here.
