The Cree and Assiniboine also suffered from the dwindling herds of the buffalo. By 1850 herds were found almost exclusively on the territory of the Blackfoot. Therefore, in 1870 various Nehiyaw-Pwat bands began a final effort to get hold of their prey, by beginning a war. They hoped to defeat the Blackfoot weakened by smallpox and attacked a camp near Fort Whoop-Up (called Akaisakoyi – "Many Dead"). But they were defeated in the so-called Battle of the Belly River (near Lethbridge, called Assini-etomochi – "where we slaughtered the Cree") and lost over 300 warriors. The next winter the hunger compelled them to negotiate with the Niitsitapi, with whom they made a final lasting peace.
The United States passed laws that adversely affected the Niitsitapi. In 1874, the US Congress voted to change the Niitsitapi reservation borders without discussing it with the Niitsitapi. They received no other land or compensation for the land lost, and in response, the Kainai, Siksika, and Piegan moved to Canada; only the Pikuni remained in Montana.[48]The winter of 1883–1884 became known as "Starvation Winter" because no government supplies came in, and the buffalo were gone. That winter, 600 Niitsitapi died of hunger.[49]In efforts to assimilate the Native Americans to European-American ways, in 1898, the government dismantled tribal governments and outlawed the practice of traditional Indian religions. They required Blackfoot children to go to boarding schools, where they were forbidden to speak their native language, practise customs, or wear traditional clothing.[50] In 1907, the United States government adopted a policy of allotment of reservation land to individual heads of families to encourage family farming and break up the communal tribal lands. Each household received a 160-acre (65 ha) farm, and the government declared the remainder "surplus" to the tribe's needs. It put it up for sale for development.[50] The allotments were too small to support farming on the arid plains. A 1919 drought destroyed crops and increased the cost of beef. Many Indians were forced to sell their allotted land and pay taxes which the government said they owed.
In the final analysis, we (the Gentiles) are only allowed to possess this sacred land while we are righteous. If we depart from righteousness, we will be swept off and taken captive - just as true Israel was in 721BC and 589BC. We cannot avoid it. The type and shadow are there in spades. Why should we think we will be any different?
In reality, we will likely suffer the same fate of the Natives back in the 1800's as that process occurred. We will be weakened by a disease that they are not weakened by, and they will take back what was taken from them. There is perfect symmetry and poetic poise in that.
[51]
About 1905 the territory of the Uintah Basin, the Ute Indian Reservation in north eastern Utah was opened for settling.
ReplyDeleteThe progressive social engineers of the day intermingled the land parcels with the land set aside for homesteading. Generally speaking, A ten mile +- strip of land stretched out from east to west at the base of the Uintah Mountains was communial as well as some territory on the west side of Uintah County stretching to the mountains / hills to the south. The Utes had a rough time of it in the mid 1800's when the government pushed them from Colorado into this area. There was no privation at the time of homesteading. The Utes had no interest in farming and the parceled land reverted to the Tribe. There was privation settlers and Indians equally because the land was difficult to farm and the Indians had a whats mine is yours perspective that didn't help relations much.
Today the Utes have quite a bit of oil revenue. They are a relatively small tribe with easy money managed by the Tribe. This has not helped them at all. Their homes are run down, business after business fail because no one has to work. I have heard that other tribes, collectively speaking, do not have a much respect for the Utes.
I remember that somewhere in the 1950's they killed one of their own because he was excelling in school and was considered a little too white and was hung.
My sister and her husband were traveling on the road across Indian land as they were heading to the mountains, they stoped to look at a dear and some nasty Indian woman drove by and told them they couldn't stop on Indian land. My sister said they were just watching the deer. She repeated the same thing in a more nasty tone of voice. so they left rather than create a scene. the only way to access the mountains is across Indian land. There is very weird behavior with these folk. They just don't like whitey.