Page 183 - Confronting Race Women and Indians on the Frontier, 1815 - 1915

FRONTIER PLACE: G E N D E R MATTERS

peoples.3 And they f r equently noticed and remarked upon divergent
aspects of the same scene. Even during the nineteenth and early twen­
tieth centuries, men were fr om Mars and women were f r om e nus.
V
A sample of 150 men's documents and an equal number of women's
sources analyzed here demonstrate gender dissimilarities. Although the
diaries, letters, and reminiscences were alike regarding trails covered,
location of settlement, and eras, the accounts of white men differed in
that men's journeys included a significant number of all-male expedi­
tions, parties, and communities. All-male groups included scientists, mil­
itary, miners, and potential settlers. They consisted of single men and
married men, with the latter serving as advance agents f o r their f a mi­
lies. W o men lacked a parallel experience. Although single women
migrated and settled on their own, a significant portion of women were
married and had children.4 Even though there were a few all-female
parties of Sooners in Oklahoma, some predominantly f e male settle­
ments, and a number of f e male communes, as in Belton, T e xas, these
were relatively unusual.
This difference between male and f e male sources raises an inter­
esting point. One might expect that the all-male groups would demon­
strate a high proportion of trouble with Indians. This assumes that men
took f e wer precautions when women and children were not present.
The male documents, however, showed a slightly lower rate of such
reports than did the fe male data. Out of 130 male documents, 124
reported no trouble with American Indians, 17 recorded minor prob­
lems, and 9 noted serious confrontations. There were II3 women report­
ing no discord, 22 mentioning minor difficulties, and 13 recording major
conflicts. Although these differences are statistically insignificant, they
suggest that men exhibited the same degree of caution in male groups
as in mixed parties.
Overall, men's and women's sources were compared in the f o llow­
ing categories: propensity to quantifY; domestic affairs; childbirth and
child care; general observations, such as scenery and weather; and social
affairs. Concerning Native Americans, men and women were contrasted
in how they described native people, villages, and artifacts; assessed mil­
itary preparedness;judged customs and morality; handled contacts with
Native Americans; developed awareness of tribal differences; and

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