Page 182 - Confronting Race Women and Indians on the Frontier, 1815 - 1915

CHAP E T R FIVE

people's spmts, continued ethnic and racial traditions, traded f o r
f o odstuffs and other goods, and sang hymns and read scripture. 2 W o men
also were on the alert to protect themselves and others fr om harm, but
at the same time they were concerned with extracting vital resources
f r om the environment and its inhabitants. W o men were dedicated
to the success of the western undertaking because of their involve­
ment-whether willing or not-and their dedication to the safety of
f
their f a milies, as well as their visions of r ontier opportunity. T o survive,
white women had to develop collegiality with small-town shopkeep­
ers and f a rmers along the way, and, as they progressed f a rther west, with
Native Americans.
At the same time, white men were adversarial. Following the dic­
tates of Manifest Destiny , they cut paths into the Indians' domain. They
pushed wagons, people, and stock over the trails; seized native hunting
grounds; and f e nded off Indians who were intent on protecting their
lands and f a milies. Male migrants and settlers, who were on the look­
out f o r any indication that their enemies were in the vicinity , took turns
standing guard. Men were committed to the success of these efforts
because of their desire to find livelihoods in the W e st and a belief in
their superiority to Indians, who were inferior f o es. Consequently, there
was little in the contact between white males and Native Americans that
f o stered sympathy, affinity, or f r iendship. Rather, most white men
approached the frontier and its native population as a piece, to be sub­
dued, controlled, and made to serve through militancy and, if necessary,
through violence. Frontier mythology, anti-Indian prejudice, and the
male mystique all advocated this approach toward overcoming the chal­
lenges in white settlement of the f r ontier.

-- White W o men's and Men's Perspectives --

The contrasting roles played by men and women shaped their interests,
values, perceptions, and observations. They asked different questions of
the landscape and the people they encountered. They applied disparate
standards to their experiences and to their contacts with indigenous

1 7 4