Through the concept of “Indigenous Revolutions”, the traditional narrative of historical conflicts such as the Seven Years’ War, Pontiac’s Rebellion, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812 are reframed. In these conflicts it was not just the European powers and colonists that were fighting, the indigenous people also had their own motivates and a stake in the outcomes. “Encounters at the Heart of the World” delves into the dynamics that natives had in these conflicts focusing on the Mandan people of the Upper Missouri Valley. Fenn describes how the Mandan people navigate relations with the French, Spanish, and English to preserve their autonomy and protect their interests. A major influence on why natives participated in these conflicts was the preservation of their lands. The expansion of European powers threatened the Indigenous lands and the traditional ways of trade and diplomacy that were in place. One example of indigenous influence was Pontiac’s Rebellion, fueled by the natives’ resistance to British encroachment on their land and the attempts to impose control through policies like the Proclamation of 1763. Along with the protecting of their lands, many of the communities of natives saw this as an opportunity to assert their own sovereignty and negotiate favorable and advantageous terms with European powers. By aligning with one side of these conflicts, they could secure alliances, various trade advantages, or some sort of protection from other rival Indigenous groups or colonial powers. In the American Revolution, many Indigenous groups like the Oneida and Tuscarora sided along with the Americans in hopes of securing recognition of their land rights and autonomy. The revolutionary discourse around ‘liberty’ takes a different meaning when viewed through the eyes of the Indigenous community. While various European colonists and American revolutionaries framed their own struggles in terms of liberty from the oppressive rule of the British, the Indigenous groups sought their own liberty in forms of autonomy and sole self-determination within their own rightful lands. For them, the revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality, and justice were overshadowed by the reality of colonial expansion and dispossession. By considering the multiple perspectives and motivations of the INdigenous peoples, people gain a richer understanding of the dynamics of power and resistance that existed in the colonial era and recognize the overshadowed agency of Native communities in shaping their own destinies amidst the turmoil of imperial rivalries.