Page 155 - Confronting Race Women and Indians on the Frontier, 1815 - 1915
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F R O N T I E R P R O C E S S : H U MAN I Z I N G
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getting something out f s if they could."94 o men complained might
ily, using such phrases as "thieving people," "somewhat troublesome,"
and "troubled by begging Indians."9s Even though Indians asked fo r
basics, including sugar, meat, flour, coffee, other f o odstuffs, and tobacco,
white women seldom questioned why once self-sufficient groups were
in such dire economic straits. Instead, they referred to Indians as sly, dis
gusting, or pesky.96 One woman wrote, "They are the greatest beggars
I ever saw . I do wonder if they are hungry."97 Others called Indians
"born beggars" and "awful thieves."98 Some were even more stinging
in their remarks. "The better Indians come to camp to pay us a visit,"
Mary Jane Guill wrote in 1 8 60. "Always stay till after supper I suppose
it is f a shionable f o r them to stay."99 In 1864, Mallie Stafford scoffed:
"Two large powerfully built warriors, in all the glory of red paint, buck
skin, beads, f e athers, dignity and general magnificence, condescended to
honor our humble camp with a call-a call long enough to eat up and
devour everything we had cooked, that being an immense pot of beans
and bacon."Ioo
Without a second thought, women condemned such behavior. 101
From the Pawnees to the Sioux to the "Diggers," Indians were reputed
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to take anything they could lay their hands on. 02 W o men were espe
cially annoyed that Indians ran off the stock that was so vital to whites'
lives and livelihoods. In truth, there were minor and major conflicts all
over the western f r ontier, f r om Minnesota and Iowa to Montana,
Wyoming, Colorado, and into the Far West, that erupted over horses and
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other animals 1 03 A closer examination of these interchanges indicates
that American Indians were typically f a r more interested in taking live
stock than taking human lives. 104 Time after time, Indians wanted horses
and cattle, not captives or scalps. 105 In 1863, o r example, while moving
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to California, Mattie a lker mentioned that the "men were kept on the
alert on account ofIndians who made several attempts to drive the stock
off."106 Referring to W e st T e xas of the 1 8 70s, Mary Jane Bell insisted
that "the Indians didn't molest anybody, as all they seemed to want was
to steal the horses."I07 Other women who worried about horses, mules,
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cattle, and sheep often suspected Indians of" eyeing" their animals. 08
Even though native fo rays on white people's livestock could escalate
into violence, such raids were often more annoying than life threatening.
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