This book is designed as a thematically organized text for students in introductory courses in Native Studies who are being introduced to Native issues for the first time. It is framed from an academic perspective and addresses Native intellectual tradition and the academic study of Native peoples. Taking a historically grounded approach and writing in a narrative style that largely avoids technical language, Belanger includes unique chapters on Native philosophy, Native peoples' relationship with the land and indigenous political economy, and the arts (language, art, and literature). It also highlights the sociopolitical and socioeconomic challenges currently facing Canada's Native leaders and their communities nationally.