Rare 1974 Soviet Book: Indians of North America – Yu. Averkieva | Tsar to Soviet Books

Rare 1974 Soviet Ethnography Monograph: "Indians of North America" by Julia Averkieva

For academic research facilities, anthropologists, and collectors of rare ethnography, this 1974 original Soviet hardcover monograph is a seminal reference work. Published in Moscow by Nauka (Издательство «Наука») under the Institute of Ethnography of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Indians of North America: From Tribal Society to Class Society (Индейцы Северной Америки: От родового общества к классовому) was written by distinguished ethnographer Julia Pavlovna Averkieva (1907–1980).

Issued in a small institutional print run of only 4,500 copies, this edition is encased in publisher's brown boards embossed with a stylized Northwest Coast Indigenous totem mask.

The Iroquois League, Potlatch & Native American Social History

Averkieva, who trained under Franz Boas and conducted field research among the Kwakwaka'wakw in British Columbia, delivers a comprehensive analysis of North American indigenous social evolution:

• The League of the Iroquois: Exhaustive research into the Iroquois Confederacy, detailing clan governance, sachems, longhouse domestic units, council structures, and inter-tribal warfare.

• Northwest Coast & Plains Cultures: Structural analysis of potlatch wealth redistribution, social hierarchy, and slavery among coastal tribes, alongside bison hunting, horse culture, and military democracy among Plains nations (Comanche, Blackfoot).

• Reference Apparatus: Contains regional maps, a comprehensive name index, and a dedicated index of indigenous ethnic names.

Complete Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Индейцы Северной Америки: От родового общества к классовому (Indians of North America)

• Author: Julia Pavlovna Averkieva (Ю. П. Аверкиева)

• Publisher: "Nauka" Publishing House (Издательство «Наука», Москва)

• Publication Date: 1974 (Moscow, USSR)

• Language: Russian

• Binding: Original publisher's brown faux-leather cloth boards, gold/black embossing

• Print Run / Circulation: 4,500 copies (Тираж 4500)

• Page Count: 348 pages

• Classification: Soviet Anthropology / Native American Ethnography / North American History

Condition & Preservation Report

• Exterior Condition: The original brown boards are clean, flat, and structurally firm. The front cover totem emblem and gold typography remain crisp and unrubbed.

• Binding Integrity: Exceptionally firm, square, and tight text block with intact hinges.

• Paper Quality: Clean, unmarked pages throughout with uniform, light vintage age-toning typical of 1970s Soviet academic paper stock. Free from marginal notation, library markings, or owner inscriptions.