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Post by emilylevine on Nov 19, 2009 18:19:07 GMT -5
Waggoner: "These Miniconwoju were settled in the extreme western border of the Cheyenne River Reservation. They were backward in adopting the modes of civilization; they were leading a life after their own fashion a regular tribal life and Indian customs. I visited one summer [1890] where Mrs. Buck Williams was teaching school on Plum Creek, a small branch of the Cheyenne River. Cherry Creek was only four or five miles away. Mary Traversie, who was afterwards Mrs. Dupree, was assistant teacher. She was my schoolmate at Hampton. Nearly every evening we could hear the tom toms beating at Cherry Creek. Once we drove over to see them have a Grass Dance. At this time I saw Big Foot and many other prominent men. "
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Post by emilylevine on Nov 21, 2009 12:32:55 GMT -5
Looking through my notes from KC NARA, I find the following: "Mary Talks was an interpreter at Cheyenne River." (Unusual for a women, but she was a Hampton graduate.) ---Cheyenne River Reservation Records, box 530
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Post by emilylevine on Nov 21, 2009 12:47:33 GMT -5
What I'm attempting to do is find information about the "hunting bands" that were with Sitting Bull that ended up on Cheyenne River. So much of Lakota history is about a few individuals who, granted were important, but there were other leaders. Aurelia, maybe this is some information that would help: At the National Archives in KC, Cheyenne River Res Records, Box 641:Ledger: heads of households, ca. late 1880s, Cherry Creek and Hump's camp Box 646:Ledger, heads of families White Horse Camp, 1892, men by name, women, boys, girls, totals (for ration issues) Box 649Ledger, ration ticket list, 1886, ticket holder name, total in family, boys ages, girls ages, men, women The NARA Cheyenne River records are not as well processed as those for Standing Rock, but I have some inventories if you would like to look at them.
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Post by aurelia on Nov 21, 2009 14:40:21 GMT -5
emilylevine, I would definitely be interested in any information you have on Cheyenne River. There are certain names that I search for examples are as follows Dress, Swift Bear, Four Hair, Cornstalk Woman, Cleans As She Comes, Poor Buffalo, Good Elk Woman... These are all relatives of Poor Buffalo who was a Miniconju who married the daughter of Fights The Thunder.
Mary Traversie was my great grandmother. She and Edward Dupris are the parents of Douglas Dupris who was my mother's father. I am always searching for information on the Dupris and have many articles about them and the buffalo.
My reason for my research to understand the coping and survival techniques used by various families to not just survive but do it in such a manner that they maintained dignity and taught their children how to continue to be Lakota while being forced to give up traditional ways.
I find the period between the late 1800's and the 1950's were the leased documented years. Plus the Cheyenne River Reservation is almost an after thought in many historians research. I think it was mainly because we did not have "a famous leader" recognized by non-Lakota. It may have also been because we were so rural and not easily accessible.
Cheyenne River is a unique place where many social changes took place that are as interesting as the other reservations i.e. Pine Ridge, Rosebud, and Standing Rock. There are many similarities but there enough differences to allow for some interesting research. One thing that was different is the Catholic Church never got a foot hold and did not build a boarding school.
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Post by emilylevine on Nov 21, 2009 15:44:32 GMT -5
Aurelia One thing that I found in KC that was very useful---and good family documentation of a time period historians don't look at much--are the Emergency Relief Records form around 1935. In a way they're kind of creepy, detailed intrusive information on hundreds of families, how they lived (log house? bathroom? plumbing? number of beds, tables chairs, linens, house clean? sanitary, etc. on and on and on). For Standing Rock each one is an 8.5 x 11 cardboard form divided into zillions of little squares with the information. There is a section for "history" that tells about the husband and wife's parents which is useful. Education, language spoken, etc. Some of the records originally had photographs of the house attached. It gives a real sense of people's lives, and as you write about "dignity" in the face of depression era reservation life, I think you would find these interesting. Have you seen that "Jimmy" has posted an index to these records on Oyate Research (http://oyate1.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=2102) and if you ask he will post some info. I see Poor Buffalos right at the beginning of his list. Also, if you write to NARA they will photocopy anything in good enough condition for 75 cents/copy.
NARA also has records of "home visits" done in 1921 on CR. I made copies of Fred Dupris and some Clowns and a few others.
Send me a personal message with your email and I'll send you the inventories from KC . Do you have or want Mary Traversie/Dupree/Talks Hampton student records? (Sorry if I'm not being too clear, lots of cold medicine.)
Also, have you talked to the folks at Timber Lake Historical Society? You probably have. They have tons of records and photographs in their research building.
I agree completely about some reservations being "an afterthought." And after the 19th century Wars many white historians lose interest altogether, until you get up to 60s and 70s and AIM and then there's just a lot of new romanticism of the situation. And in between is this big blank that's not so pretty that a lot of people don't like to look at. OK, I better shut up now...
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Post by shan on Nov 21, 2009 17:08:15 GMT -5
Hello emilylevene.
I was reading your posts above about the records held at Cheyenne River Res Records, and wondered if you could help me. I live in England and so have no chance to be able to go to any of these places to access any of these records, is there any way I can find out the information I need?
For a number of years now I have been trying to find out some information concerning the last years of Low Dog who was, as far as I can find out, living on the Cheyenne River res around the time of his death. I know that he was arrested shortly after the Ghost Dance massacre, and served a year in prison at fort Snelling before being escorted back to the reservation in 1891. After that he seems to disappear from the records, so I can only presume that he must have died some shortly after he was released.
Have you ever come across any information on him, or can you point me towards where I might look? thank you for your time,
Low Dog
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Post by emilylevine on Nov 22, 2009 22:54:13 GMT -5
Shan I'll keep my eyes open for Low Dog and pass on anything I find.
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Post by Dietmar on Nov 24, 2009 1:38:47 GMT -5
Shan, I´ve posted a scan from Emily of the 1891 Standing Rock Census in the Low Dog thread (Oglala).
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