By Stephen Pevar
Chiefs at Verde Reservation, Arizona. Source: NYPL Labs Stereogranimator.
During the 1800s, white settlers moved west by the tens of thousands, and the US cavalry went with them, battling Indian tribes along the way. One by one, tribes were forced to relinquish their homelands (on which they had lived for centuries) and relocate to reservations, often hundreds of miles away. By the late 1800s, some three hundred reservations had been created.
The purpose of the reservation system was, for the most part, to remove land from the Indians and to separate the Indians from the settlers. Reservations were usually created on lands not (yet) coveted by non-Indians. By the late 1800s, however, settlers were nearly everywhere, and Congress needed to develop a new strategy to prevent further bloodshed.
The government decided that instead of separating Indians from white society, Indians should be assimilated into white society. Assimilation of the Indians and the destruction of their reservations became the new federal goal.
Two very different social forces helped shaped this new policy: greed and humanitarianism. Many whites wanted Indian land and knew that they would have an easier time obtaining it if Indian tribes disappeared. This greed prompted Congress to pass the Dawes Act, also known as the General Allotment Act, in February 1887. The Dawes Act was also favored by many non-Indian social reformers who were aware that Indians were suffering unmercifully under the government’s existing reservation policies, and they sincerely believed that the best way to help Indians overcome their plight and their poverty was by encouraging assimilation. Although their motives differed, both groups pressured Congress to pass the Dawes Act. The objectives of the Act, as the US Supreme Court has noted, “were simple and clear cut: to extinguish tribal sovereignty, erase reservation boundaries, and force the assimilation of Indians into the society at large.” Indian tribes had no say in the matter and were not even consulted.
Most Indian tribes had no concept of private land ownership. Rather, land was communally owned and everyone worked together to gather what they could from the land and shared its bounty. In order to compel assimilation of the Indians, a scheme was developed that would undermine Indian life and culture at its core: individual Indians would be forced to own land for private use. Indians would be converted into capitalists.
To accomplish the new policy of assimilation, the Dawes Act authorized the President of the United States to divide communally-held tribal lands into separate parcels (“allotments”). Each tribal member was to be assigned an allotment and, after a twenty-five-year “trust” period, would be issued a deed to it, allowing the owner to sell it. Once the allotments were issued, the remaining tribal land (the “surplus” land) would be sold to non-Indian farmers and ranchers. Congress hoped that by allowing non-Indians to live on Indian reservations, the goals of the settlers and those of the humanitarian social reformers could both be satisfied: land would become available for non-In
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So true! I had a lovely afternoon wandering around after a two year old who was chasing squirrels, picking buttercups and daisies and collecting 'special' stones. No sound but the wind through the trees and some rather noisy thrushes. All thoughts of to-do list vanished...
Allotment will always win, hopefully.
Very therapeutic. Makes one feel like they have had a total break. Getting close to nature is certainly the best stress release.
I am glad you said yes! Enjoy the proceeds of your labours!
Every writer needs an allotment of one's own.
I find walking the dog the best time to arrange my ideas. We are so lucky we can be in the middle of farmers fields within 10 minutes. Some days we will bump into the world and his dog. Other days we'll not see a soul for an hour or so. On a quiet walked I've even written a complete story by tapping into my iPhone then simply uploaded onto my laptop when I got home. This story is now with my editor, so fingers crossed.
I'm with Lynne - my dog needs to go out three times a day and she doesn't care about my deadlines. I stroll around the park, maybe buy a cup of tea from the park kiosk, watch the world go by. And I never take my phone.
Bizarrely, I have just taken my sister to the train and as we drove to the station she was saying exactly the same things to me - need to get outside, need to work in the garden, need to get some balance ... It's obvious, and yet, and yet ...
My brain gets it, but my must-be-writing bit kicks and bites!
I'll try to follow your good example.
My garden has needed a lot of work this spring, and I was feeling guilty about the time I spend branch-trimming, pond-clearing, digging...till I realised that I was actually getting more writing done in my writing time. I think you're right - the balance is a help rather than a hindrance. It does clear the head for new ideas!
Good decision! Everyone needs a dog (or two) and an allotment in their life!
Look at me - utterly identifying with this blog when I should be outside getting some fresh air! Well done you.
Living in the heart of London, I envy your woods and that lovely bridge that seems to lead to enchantment! Can taste those home grown veg and herbs already... with beautiful zucchini flowers tossed lightly into a salad! A great decision, Savita!
Thank you all for the comments, and the validation! Really feel I have definitely done the right thing. Feeling much more grounded... (sorry!)
And lucky that Finchley is on the edge of London and although my front door puts me firmly in London, my back door opens onto woods, so getting the best of both worlds!
I'm no gardener yet, apart from tidying up, but I absolutely get your point here. A day without a walk in the fresh air preferably with some nature thrown in is, for me, a day lost. And although I struggle to find any time to write, it hasn't stopped me taking on new other projects: I recently bought a wonderful new cookbook which I am slowly working through and trying out in the evenings, when I'm not serving meals, and am weighing up whether to sign up for fiddle lessons too.
Space - whether real world space or a quiet time to think - is essential for creative thought. Have just returned from a week grandchild-sitting before and after school, and found the middle of the day calm time, sans internet, wonderfully soothing. Feel as if ideas have started to spring again. Mind you, did pause and admire flower filled gardens and local woods during the to and fro. Thank you for the post, Savita, and much happiness with the allotment!
Do I need an allotment? No - but I'm glad you have yours. Like Elen, I have a 3-walk-a-day dog, and a garden which is in danger of being choked by bindweed.
If I get someting solid written in the next month, I'll be so happy.