ᎣᏍᏓ! Osda! I just ordered this incredible book, A History of the Cherokee Nation, that the Great Aunt of Martha Berry and Dr. Patricia Dawson -the remarkable professor Dr. Rachel Caroline (“Callie”) Eaton (1869-1938)- wrote about the history of her people, the Cherokee Nation. ᏩᏙ (Wado), many thanks to Martha and her husband Dave Berry, Patricia, and the University of Oklahoma (OU) Press, especially editor Alessandra Jacobi Tamulevich who came together to bring Dr. Eaton’s dying wish to life for the many generations ahead.

Also, many university presses are having holiday sales on books so please order books directly from the presses. OU Press has a holiday discount of 40% off using the code 18HLDY25.

I first learned about Dr. Eaton’s unpublished book manuscript when I was writing the chapter, “A ‘Loyal Countrywoman’: Rachel Caroline Eaton, Alumna of the Cherokee National Female Seminary,” for the edited volume This Land Is Her Land: Gendered Activism in Oklahoma, 1870s-2010s (2021). I connected with Martha, Patricia, and Dave about that time, and I introduced them to Alessandra at OU Press.

I am so happy to see that Dr. Eaton’s final major work is finally being published by the press for which she initially intended it, even these 87 years after her passing on. Dr. Eaton immersed herself in Cherokee history and is known as one of the first Native American women who earned a doctoral degree in history as a trailblazing scholar of Native American studies and histories. I hope that you all have an opportunity to order and read her book as well as spread the word about this awesome news.

This hyperlink features a recorded series of talks from the Oklahoma Historical Society, in 2020, that highlight “The Fluidity of Power” chapters of This Land Is Herland, including my discussion of Dr. Rachel Caroline Eaton and her work.

Here is the official OU Press book release announcement:

The University of Oklahoma Press is pleased to announce the release of A History of the Cherokee Nation by Rachel Caroline Eaton and edited by David Berry, Martha Berry and Patricia Dawson. 

Book Details:

382 Pages, 15 B&W Illus. 

$45.00 Hardcover

Vol. 26 in the New Directions in Native American Studies Series

Publication Date: December 16, 2025

About the Book:

Written shortly before her death in 1938, Rachel Caroline Eaton’s A History of the Cherokee Nation is the celebrated Cherokee historian’s magnum opus—and a work whose grounding in Cherokee tradition and perspective makes it unique in the annals of American history. The book spans the years from pre-contact to what Eaton feared would be the Cherokee Nation’s demise after allotment and Oklahoma statehood in 1907. Its later chapters chronicle post-Civil War events that Eaton herself witnessed, from the repeated incursions into Cherokee sovereignty by railroad and timber barons, white interlopers, land speculators, and federal policymakers to the attempted dissolution of Cherokee nationhood and self-governance.

Published here for the first time, A History of the Cherokee Nation is at once rigorously researched and documented and deeply indebted to Cherokee methods of storytelling and transmitting knowledge. Eaton’s incorporation of local histories, oral accounts, family archives, and the contributions of non-academic storytellers and knowledge keepers gives this work a sense of intimacy and immediacy rare among conventional histories of the time. Her History is also attentive to the importance of Cherokee family and kinship, a cultural tradition carried forward by editors Martha Berry and Patricia Dawson, both Eaton family descendants, and David Berry. Eaton’s history of her people is accompanied by a tribute, introduction, and copious notes by the editors to provide guidance and context for today’s readers.

Once deemed “too pro-Cherokee” for publication, the book now stands as a powerful testament to the tenacity of the Cherokee spirit, the endurance of the Cherokee Nation’s history, culture, and tradition, and the significance of the Native voice in the American story.

About the Author:

Rachel Caroline Eaton (Cherokee Nation; 1869–1938) was a historian, educator, and Cherokee intellectual. She graduated from the Cherokee Female Seminary and earned a PhD from the University of Chicago in 1919. She is the author of John Ross and the Cherokee Indians. Dave Berry worked as a newspaper editor and managing editor for 44 years. Martha Berry (Cherokee Nation) is Eaton’s grandniece. She is a beadwork artist and was named a “Cherokee National Treasure.” She can be found at www.berrybeadwork.com. Patricia Dawson (Cherokee Nation) is Eaton’s great-great-great niece. She is Assistant Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College.