French and Indians in the Heart of North America, 1630-1815 is a collection of 8 essays edited by Robert Englebert and Guillaume Teasdale. The collection examines the complex relationships between the French and various Indigenous Nations in the geographical area that includes the Great Lakes region, the Illinois Country, the Missouri River Valley, and Upper and Lower Louisiana. Contributing scholars include: Arnaud Balvay, Gilles Havard, Kathryn Magee Labelle, Robert Michael Morrissey, Christopher M. Parsons, John Reda, Nicole St-Onge, and Richard Weyhing. Of particular is the piece by Kathryn Magee Labelle that examines the Wendat Feast of Souls in 1636. The essay about the use of tobacco in the region examines the understandings of the French and the Indigenous population. The volume contributes a broader assessment of the historical bridge-building process, including ritual interactions, transatlantic connections, diplomatic relations, and post–New France French-First Nations relations.
