Rebirth of the Blackfeet Nation, 1912-1954

Author(s)

    • Rosier, Paul C.

Bibliographic Information

Rebirth of the Blackfeet Nation, 1912-1954

Paul C. Rosier

University of Nebraska Press, c2001

Available at  / 2 libraries

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. [329]-336) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Drawing on interviews, democratic theory, and extensive archival research, Paul C. Rosier tells the story of the Blackfeet Nation during the first half of the twentieth century. At the turn of the century, the Blackfeet, like many Native groups, were suffering from the cultural and economic effects of land loss, poverty, forced education at federal boarding schools, and overt political control by the federal government. By mid-century, however, the Blackfeet Nation had undergone a rapid and complex political and economic transformation. The Blackfeet embraced and largely benefited from the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which promoted tribal sovereignty and administration and halted land loss. The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council became a powerful force both on and off the reservation, and a class system emerged, consisting of wealthy Blackfeet ranchers and oil lessees, the very poor, and a middle class whose fortunes were tied to government and tribal credit programs for livestock, farm, and rehabilitation loans. How and why did these changes happen? Focusing on the internal political, economic, and ethnic forces shaping the Blackfeet Nation - and incorporating Blackfeet voices throughout - Rosier shows how these transformations were not imposed on the Blackfeet but were the result of their continuing efforts to create a community of their own making and to reorganize relations with outsiders on their own terms. In particular, Rosier questions prevailing assumptions about the Indian Reorganization Act and its effects on tribal sovereignty. He argues that the IRA provided useful tools for democratic political reform and for enhancing tribal sovereignty during the "termination" period of the 1950s. This book illuminates two key periods in modern Indian-white relations and broadens our understanding of the meaning of democracy in America. Paul C. Rosier is an adjunct professor of history at Villanova University.

Table of Contents

  • Contents: List of Illustrations
  • Acknowledgments
  • List of Abbreviations
  • Map of the Blackfeet Reservation Introduction1 Part 1. 1912-1934 1. "The Old System Is No Success": The Formation of the Modern Blackfeet Reservation, 1912-1929 2. "Give Us a Fair and New Deal": 1929-1934 Part 2. 1934-1952 3. On the Road to Self-Government: The Incorporation of the Blackfeet Tribe of Indians, 1934-1935 4. Feeding the "Second Buffalo" and Themselves: The Contours of the Blackfeet Economy, 1934-1940 5. "Reconciling the Old Men to the New Way": Income Distribution in an Infant Democracy, 1940-1945 6. "We Have a Way to Make Citizens of Them": The Politics of Blackfeet Self-Termination, 1945-1952 Conclusion: The Roots of Blackfeet Self-Determination Notes Bibliography Index

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