Page 158 - Confronting Race Women and Indians on the Frontier, 1815 - 1915

CHAPTER FOUR

of refinement" that she had not expected to find among j ust Indians." lIS
"
Still other women stated that in spite of some unattractive qualities the
Indians were also honest, proud, and responsible people, who would not
lie, steal, or cheat as many whites would do. II9
Some women were quick to praise individual instances of ability
on the part of Native Americans. Since the home was their bailiwick,
white women were interested in Indians' household arrangements. They
f r equently commented upon the interiors and exteriors of wigwams,
wickiups, and teepees, offering observations surprisingly positive in
tone. Lucene Parsons thought that an Indian town with "underground"
wigwams showed ingenuity. In 1 8 6 7, the Denver settler Emma Hill said
2
that a nearby Ute village constituted a "pretty picture."1 o Others
emphasized the cleanliness ofIndian dwellings. Esther Hanna, f o r exam­
ple, said she f o und a wigwam she visited "more comfortable" than she
had anticipated. Hanna was also impressed with Indian handiwork,
which she maintained was of a surprisingly high quality. 121 Lodisa
Frizzell regarded the needlework produced by the native women whom
she visited as the finest and most beautiful that she had ever seen. "I
must say that nicer work with a needle I never saw," she declared, "or
any this more beautiful, it looked like sattin, & was finely ornamented
with various colored beeds." Like Frizzell, other women were so taken
with the fine Indian beaded bags, moccasins, and shawls that they
became popular items of exchange between white and native women. 1 22
Unfortunately, women seldom recorded their reactions to child­
birth and child-care practices among Native Americans. Whether they
lacked opportunity to observe them or whether they fe lt it was improper
f o rVictorian women to discuss is unclear. Occasional mention was made
of the love Indian parents gave their children and the high standards of
behavior that parents expected. 123 Susan Magoffin complimented
American Indian women fo r bathing themselves and their infants
immediately after giving birth. "No doubt many ladies in civilized life
are ruined by too careful treatments during child-birth," she
2
remarked.1 4 For the most part, however, white women neglected the
topic of childbirth.
Numerous women commented that Indians often expressed warm­
heartedness. White women who denigrated Indians also thought that

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