Briefly described below are a few of the American Indian events of 1917. Commissioner of Indian Affairs In the bureaucracy of American government, Indian affairs are administered by the Department of the Interior. The Commission of Indian Affairs, a political appointee, is directly responsible for administering the Indian Office (now called the Bureau of Indian … Continued
Four hundred years ago, in 1619, four European countries—France, England, Netherlands, and Spain–were establishing permanent colonies in the Americas. As these colonies expanded, the conflicts with the Native Americans over land increased in frequency and intensity. Archaeologist Jerald Milanich, in his book Laboring in the Fields of the Lord: Spanish Missions and Southeastern Indians, describes … Continued
Taken with Permission When I wrote this, The Death & Vision of Moxtaveto (Black Kettle) Custer was pursuing the snow tracks of Dog Soldiers that would eventually lead to Black Kettle’s village on Thanksgiving Day in a cruel irony. The cruelest irony however, was that Black Kettle and his wife would be slain nearly four … Continued
From 1500 BCE until about 1200 CE, the Zapotec were one of the prominent and historically important groups in Mesoamerica. They originated in the Valley of Oaxaca in Mexico. Their major archaeological sites include Monte Albán, Dainzu, Huitzo, Monte Negro, Yagul, and Zaachila. The Zapotec By 1500 BCE, the Cloud People (Ben Zaa, Gula’sa, or … Continued
Source “…Roman Nose made his record against the whites, in defense of territory embracing the Republican and Arickaree rivers. He was killed on the latter river in 1868, in the celebrated battle with General Forsythe. Roman Nose always rode an uncommonly fine, spirited horse, and with his war bonnet and other paraphernalia gave a wonderful … Continued
Yankton Sioux (Nakota) writer and activist Gertrude Simmons Bonnin was born in 1876 and grew up on the Yankton Agency in South Dakota. Her mother was Reaches for the Wind (Tate I Yohin Win, also known as Ellen). Her father abandoned his wife and Ellen married John Haysting Simmons. Gertrude Simmons grew up on the … Continued
The Flathead Indian Reservation in Western Montana was created in 1855 as a result of the Hell Gate Treaty Council with the Salish-speaking Pend d’Oreilles, the Salish-speaking Flathead (also known as the Bitterroot Salish), and the Kootenai. While Washington Territory Governor Isaac Stevens considered these tribes to be unimportant, the American government wanted to consolidate … Continued
During the first two decades of the twentieth century, several American Indian writers published books about American Indians. Briefly described below are some of these authors and their books. Charles A. Eastman One of the most prolific writers during this period was Dr. Charles A. Eastman (1858-1939) who was born on the Santee Dakota Reservation … Continued
In 1855, the Coast Reservation was established by executive order of President Franklin Pierce. The new reservation ran approximately 102 miles north and south along the Central Oregon coast. The establishment of this reservation set in motion the relocation of several different American Indian groups in Southern Oregon and Northern California. The new reservation was … Continued
When the European explorers, soldiers, missionaries, and colonists arrived in the Americas, they viewed the world through the lens of Christianity. Encountering peoples who were not mentioned in the Bible, there were great debates about who these people were and, if they were truly human, how they travelled from the mythical Garden of Eden, which … Continued
