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A Note on Naming and Spelling

The question of how to refer to the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North America has been politically charged for many centuries. It is further complicated by the inaccurate descriptions of European settlers and by the many migrations and displacements that occurred after European arrival. Where possible, I use contemporary names for specific tribes. In cases where a tribe did not survive the colonial period, I use the most widely accepted transcription of its name. I also use the most widely accepted names for individual Native Americans, with the acknowledgment that these are usually European renderings of names that did not take alphabetic form. I use “Native” as the default descriptor for pre-Columbian North Americans, but I also use “Indian,” especially when paraphrasing European points of view or referring to European concepts of American people. European spelling presents problems as well. In general, I have preserved the punctuation and spelling of early modern sources. However, I have corrected “u” to “v,” “i” to “j,” “VV” to “w.” I have also silently modernized all shorthand or unusual typographical practices, changing “ye” to “the,” “Yf” to “if,” and “consultacòn,” to “consultation.” I have deleted the spaces that early modern printers sometimes left before colons and semicolons. Finally, I have emended in brackets all obvious compositors’ errors. I have retained the capitalization of the titles of printed works, with the exception of words that are entirely capitalized, which are capitalized only in their first letter here (articles and most prepositions excepted).