article

Colonial context and age group relations among Plains Indians

Journal of cross-cultural gerontology5Published In 1990 • Pages: 149-168

By: Fowler, Loretta.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This is a history of Arapaho political organization and leadership. Fowler compares the different trajectories between the Northern Arapaho in Wyoming and the Southern Arapaho in Oklahoma. The U.S. government was more protective of the Northern branch, whereas they pushed for quick assimilation of the Southern branch. Arapaho political life was centered on the age-grade system with elders holding the most authority. This structure held true among the Northern Arapaho in spite of attempts by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to undermine it by introducing an elected business council. While the council is largely made up of younger men, their authority still rests with the elders, who screen every candidate for office and are consulted on every major council decision.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Acculturation and culture contact
Real property
Renting and leasing
Age stratification
Community structure
Community heads
External relations
Public welfare
Priesthood
Status and treatment of the aged
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Arapaho
RegionThe area the document pertains to
North America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Plains and Plateau
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
article
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Ian Skoggard; 2022
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1967-1978
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1870-1976
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Cheyenne-Arapaho Statistical Area, Oklahoma, USA; Wind River Reservation; Wind River Reservation, Wyoming, USA
NotesAdditional notes
Loretta Fowler
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Arapaho Indians