Page 46 - Confronting Race Women and Indians on the Frontier, 1815 - 1915

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C H APTER ONE

At the same time, Anglo women heard far more about the under­
side of the Indian-the "bad" Indian, who was brutal and very fright­
ening. The creation of negative stereotypes and splitting native peoples'
personas into good and bad was not uncommon in colonial discourse,
but from these negative social constructions women were predisposed
to view the Indians they encountered in the worst possible light. 8 9 As
moral missionaries embarking on a crusade to the West in general and
to American Indians in particular, women had prejudice toward Indians
firmly in mind before they even set foot upon the westward trail . If
women had any doubts regarding the brutal natures of most American
Indians, they were dispelled by the climate of prejudicial opinion that
marked the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Anti-Indian sen­
timent was longstanding, emerging first during the American colonial
period as white settlers attempted to enslave, civilize, assimilate, or
reshape into settled farmers the original inhabitants of the New World.
W h en their attempts to " elevate" Native Americans met with resistance,
some early Americans concluded that the only alternative for American
Indians was eventual extermination . 9 0
Later generations of Americans elaborated upon earlier themes.
They helped create the stereotype of the Indian, lumping together more
than two thousand native cultures-and called "The Indian" -all of
'
them savage, heathen, and barbaric . Because most Indians were "bad,"
meaning naked, dirty, mean, and hostile, they deserved removal or
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destruction by a progressive and civilized white society. 9 Throughout
the nineteenth century, accounts depicting American Indians as savage
barbarians became a well-developed art, especially in the literary genres
of captivity narratives, or "penny dreadfuls" as they were known in
Europe. These chronicles of brutal treatment inflicted upon white cap­
tives by Indians appealed to, and reinforced, the anti-native prejudices
of readers. Appearing first during the American colonial period, 1607
to 1776, captivity narratives clearly manifested the fear and hatred of
colonists toward the native peoples of North America. In one of the
most well-known captivity narratives, The Narrative and Restoration oj
Mrs. Mary Rowlandson (1682), the author described her captors as "mur­
derous wretches" and a "barbarous enemy." As the nation continued its
westward expansion into the Ohio V a lley during the post-Revolution