When she was orphaned in adolescence in the mid-1850s, Indians in northwestern Missouri offered to adopt my great-grandmother, part Cherokee, blood sister to the Kickapoos (or, perhaps, the Sauks and Foxes). As a result, I suspect, of Baptist religious training, Great-grandmother chose instead to live with a family of ex-slaves until she was taken in later by an aunt and uncle. She viewed the Indian life with respect but chose a path that was more compelling to her.
America must have tens and tens of thousands of similar family stories of connections to native blood and culture. My wife’s grandmother’s grandfather was an Apache scout, straddling the lands and cultures of Mexico, and America, as well as those of the Apaches. It was neither a simple nor easy task—the living at times involving serious violence, at other times whispered secrets. And there were all the difficult border crossings—physical, linguistic, and emotional.
Fergus M. Bordewich in “Revolution in Indian Country” (July/August issue) did an excellent job of wrestling with some of the complexities of our ongoing national struggle over what constitutes legitimate proprietorship of this land. By dealing openly and thoughtfully with these difficult issues, perhaps we can give proper respect to many lines of our heritage without amalgamating everything into a shallow blandness. Because of its effect on our attitudes toward the country and our sense of belonging, these questions will remain important at the individual, community, and national levels.
Thank you for the article.
George R. Cartter Nipomo, Calif.
Indian Country
Fergus Bordewich has the Dawes Act being passed in 1881. Severally was proposed in 1879, but the Dawes General Severally Act was not passed until 1887. Another point: If white folks are suffering due to Indian sovereignty issues, such problems are certainly not universal. The Murray study (1995) in Wisconsin showed that the Oneida Nation generated in service fees and taxes well over $37 million and through operations such as gaming added over $284 million to the economy of the local Brown County. Across the country numerous non-Indians might well be unemployed were it not for tribal gaming facilities.
Robert E. Powless Professor and Department Head Dept. of American Indian Studies University of Minnesota at Duluth
Indian Country
Mr. Bordewich suggests that Native Americans obtained citizenship with the Dawes Severally Act when, in fact, citizenship was not granted to them until 1924—after they had fought and died in the first of two world wars in which they served our country.
Jim Kent Pompton Plains, NJ.
Indian Country
Bordewich laments: “Tribal claims on ancestral bones and artifacts were depleting many of the most valuable anthropological collections in the country.” His choice of the word valuable is revealing. Valuable to whom? I have yet to hear reports of native people desecrating the “valuable” graves of their white neighbors under the guise of anthropology.
Kathy Roth Clarks Summit, Pa.
Indian Country
As an Indian person I read this article with dismay. Why is it so outrageous to expect Micki Hutchinson to pay for a liquor license to the governing body of the area in which she resides? She has no doubt exploited the Indian population and made a profit for many years. The author tells us that Ms. Hutchinson was relying on the words of the commissioner of Indian Affairs, who spoke in 1881. But anyone who knows anything about the history of Indian policy knows that it has often made complete reversals in a matter of months, depending on which way the winds were blowing in Washington.
Anita P. Fineday Cambridge, Mass.
Indian Country
I have to admit to not feeling sympathy for the “white settlers” who inhabit the “white towns” in the middle of Indian land. Often they own the only stores and gas stations, the only pharmacies and banks. They can charge exorbitant prices on every item because they know we have no choice about where we can buy our toilet paper and food. I have been in white-run stores where the clerks follow you around and call Indians thieves—yet aren’t too proud to take our money.
I grew up with a biased view against white society as a whole, and I do what I can to survive in your world. I admit to feeling resentment at times, but what would you feel if your world had been stolen from you, your life ripped apart? Probably just as much forgiveness and understanding as we do.
Juanita Martin Columbus, Ohio
Calendar Confusion
According to Bob Fulton’s article “Our First Olympics,” (July/August) our athletes discovered that the games were scheduled to begin on April 6, 1896, twelve days earlier than they had supposed because Greece still observed the Julian calendar. Since that calendar lagged behind the Gregorian, our athletes would have had more time, not less, had they forgotten that Greece observed a different calendar. What must have happened, for Mr. Fulton’s story to make any sense, was that the athletes were given a date according to the Gregorian calendar, which they mistakenly assumed must be a Julian calendar date since the games were in Greece. Maybe a little knowledge was a dangerous thing.
