article

The dispossession of the Pawnee

Annals of the Association of American Geographers • 69 (3) • Published In 1979 • Pages: 382-401

By: Wishart, David J..

Abstract

The traditional way of life of the Pawnee on the central Great Plains was based on horticulture and the hunting of bison. After 1830, missionaries and government agency officials put great pressure on the Pawnee to change their life style in accordance with Euro-American concepts of civilization. Essentially this involved the transformation of the Pawnee into farmers, complete with a work ethic and a sense of property. Convinced of the validity of their own cultural norms, the Pawnee strongly resisted this attempt at acculturation. As white settlers pushed into Nebraska in the years following 1854, the Pawnee were confined to a small reservation where they were subjected to enforced acculturation, further encroachment on their land by the settlers, and persistent Sioux raids. In a last desperate attempt to preserve their traditional way of life, the Pawnee finally agreed to leave Nebraska in 1873 and move to Indian Territory in Oklahoma (p. 382).

HRAF PubDate

1998

Region

North America

Sub Region

Plains and Plateau

Document Type

article

Evaluation

Creator Types

Historian

Geographer

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

Analyst

John Beierle ; 1997

Field Date

no date

Coverage Date

1800-1874

Coverage Place

Skidi (Skiri), Chawi, Kitkehahki, and Pitahauerat bands; northern Kansas and Nebraska, United States

Notes

David J. Wishart

Includes bibliographical references

LCCN

gs1200296

LCSH

Pawnee Indians