Book dossier

Unknown Island

by Bowen, Thomas

"This ethnohistory asks how and why a reclusive band of Seri Indians inhabiting San Esteban Island was unknown to Europeans, Americans, and Mexicans plying the Gulf of California for nearly four centuries. To solve this puzzle, Thomas Bowen explores the history of the Midriff Islands and Gulf of California, the Seri Indians who lived there, and Europeans, Mexicans, and Americans who explored and settled the region. Placing the Gulf of California in regional and international context, he examines why so few Europeans visited San Esteban, what kinds of people were drawn to the gulf, and why they went there. His own archaeological investigations try to determine whether San Esteban was in fact inhabited permanently by a distinct Seri population or was visited intermittently by Seri from neighboring islands. The author illustrates his narrative with historical and contemporary photographs and detailed maps of the Gulf of California and San Esteban Island."--BOOK JACKET.