“A masterful summary statement that explores the application of the method of controlled comparison in a compact yet thorough account of the social organization of American Indian tribes east of the Mississippi, leading to a new understanding of social and cultural change. Professor Eggan also allows the reader to follow the career of an eminent scientist, with insights into how he entered the field, what he has learned in his life of study and why he has used certain methods to obtain his findings. The author outlines the present state of knowledge of American Indian social systems, considering what happens to these systems under situations of acculturation and adaptation to new ecological conditions. Taking whole culture areas, he compares variant forms within those areas, showing how each variant of the same fundamental pattern makes particular sense in its historical and ecological context and thus revealing how the method of controlled comparison really works. Finally the author presents an analysis of the future of the American Indian. Included is a general review of all major research on this subject from Lewis Henry Morgan to the present, emphasizing the development of method and theory and making this an invaluable reference book for the informed layman and the historian as well as for anthropologists and their students.” BOOK JACKET