American History
The Spirit of the Ghost Dance
Wovoka was given knowledge of a dance—one that, if performed properly and coupled with righteous living, promised to cleanse the earth of whites and restore it to Native people. […]
Professor Daniel Cobb
American History
The Ghost Dance: Affirming the Lakota Way of Life
The Ghost Dance offered the Lakota peace, the restoration of balance, and joy. It affirmed the continuing integrity of Lakota lifeways. […]
History
How Native American Writers Battled Racism in the 20th Century
Accounts of life among Native Americans were not uncommon in the 19th and 20th centuries, but they were usually told by outsiders. Native American writers changed this narrative. […]
History
War Against Native American Racism in the 20th Century
Holding the very first meeting of a Native American organization in Columbus, Ohio, on Columbus Day was a powerful gesture. And the Society of American Indians did just the same. […]
History
How Native People Reimagined Indianness in the 20th Century
Throughout the early 20th century, Native Americans had to deal with changing the shape and form of their existence in society. They had to confront the stereotypes revolving around them, and they succeeded. […]
American History
Native Americans and the Federal Power
The Major Crimes Act of 1885 defined the circumstances in which federal courts could intervene in crimes committed between Indians within reservation communities. But, in most instances, tribal self-government was ignored completely. […]
American History
The Landmark Case of Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock
Congress passed the legislation in 1900 to move forward with the allotment of the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache reservation. Relating the concept of plenary power specifically to the question of Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache treaty rights, the Supreme Court affirmed the unilateral power of Congress. This was a crippling blow to tribal sovereignty. […]
American History
Natives and the Law: Challenges to Tribal Sovereignty
The unjust policies of assimilation and allotment were in place. Yet, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries Native people continued to seek justice in the courts of the conqueror […]
American History
How American Indians Adapted to Assimilation and Allotment
American Indians faced extraordinary challenges and changes during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While some accommodated to new circumstances, others refused to do so. There were significant debates between those who wished to reject change and preserve traditional lifeways and others who embraced the progressive opportunities. […]
American History
How the Allotment Act Dismantled American Indian Kinship Systems
Allotment conveyed the message that communal land ownership was un-American. Native communities were defined by taking a census and a tribal roll was created to determine who was eligible for a land allotment. Then a survey was conducted of the reservations and the land was subdivided into parcels. Finally, the government opened the surplus land to non-Indians. […]