Book
Women and Indians on the frontier, 1825-1915 / Glenda Riley.
Pioneer women going west carried distinct images of themselves and of American Indians. Their views reflected stereotypes pervading the popular literature and journalism of the nineteenth century: women were weak and defenseless, their westward trek was a noble mission, and American Indians were savages. But as a result of their frontier experience, many women changed or discarded their earlier opinions. This book is the first account of how and why pioneer women altered their self-images and their views of American Indians. In Women and Indians on the Frontier, Riley substantially revises the conventional melodramatic picture of pioneer women cowering when confronted with Indians. Frontier life required women to be self-reliant, independent, and hardy: as they learned to adapt, frontierswomen also learned to reexamine stereotypes in the light of experience. Interestingly, Riley explains, while pioneer women frequently changed their beliefs about Indians, they did not often revise their attitudes toward Mormon or Mexican women following contact with them. Frontierswomen also differed from men, whose unfavorable impression of Indians seldom changed.
Record details
- ISBN: 0826307787 :
- ISBN: 9780826307781
- ISBN: 0826307809 (pbk.) :
- ISBN: 9780826307804 (pbk.)
- Physical Description: xvi, 336 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
- Edition: 1st ed.
- Publisher: Albuquerque : University of New Mexico Press, c1984.
Content descriptions
- General Note:
- Includes index.
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 325-327) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- American Influences upon Frontierswomen's Ideas -- European Influences upon Frontierswomen's Ideas -- Rumors and Alarms on the Trail and in Early Settlements -- Contact and Cultural Clash with Native Populations -- The Development of Relationships with Indians -- The Selective Nature of Frontierswomen's Sympathies -- The Legacy of Image and Myth -- Notes -- Note on Sources -- Index.
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Available copies
- 4 of 4 copies available at Northwest Indian College.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 4 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lummi Library | F 596 .R56 1984 | 2237049 | Stacks | Available | - |
| Lummi Library | F 596 .R56 1984 | 259371 | Stacks | Available | - |
| Lummi Library | F 596 .R56 1984 | 284428 | Stacks | Reshelving | - |
| Lummi Library | Indian #411 | 275546 | Deloria Collection | Available | - |
Summary:
Pioneer women going west carried distinct images of themselves and of American Indians. Their views reflected stereotypes pervading the popular literature and journalism of the nineteenth century: women were weak and defenseless, their westward trek was a noble mission, and American Indians were savages. But as a result of their frontier experience, many women changed or discarded their earlier opinions. This book is the first account of how and why pioneer women altered their self-images and their views of American Indians. In Women and Indians on the Frontier, Riley substantially revises the conventional melodramatic picture of pioneer women cowering when confronted with Indians. Frontier life required women to be self-reliant, independent, and hardy: as they learned to adapt, frontierswomen also learned to reexamine stereotypes in the light of experience. Interestingly, Riley explains, while pioneer women frequently changed their beliefs about Indians, they did not often revise their attitudes toward Mormon or Mexican women following contact with them. Frontierswomen also differed from men, whose unfavorable impression of Indians seldom changed.