1884 Report from Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the Secretary of the Interior

Native American, Western Americana

Pamphlet

[Native American] [Americana]. Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the Secretary of the Interior for The Year 1884. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1884. In paper wrappers. 9” x 6” inches. 55 pages. This report from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs captures the population management methods used by the American government in order to eradicate the traditional Native American way of life. In its first passages, the Commissioner states: “More indians are living in houses and fewer in tepees… more are cultivating the soil and fewer following the chase, more in the carpenter, blacksmith, and mechanical shops trying to earn an honest living and fewer at the war dance, scalp dance, and sun dance than in October 1883.” By this time, Natives were largely being confined to reservations as westward migration increased dramatically through the construction of cross-country rail lines. The report has sections on law enforcement and natural resources in Native-designated lands, freedmen in Native territory, social conditions of Natives such as education, sanitation, and the sale of liquor and firearms, and more. This report gives a chilling understanding of the extent of domination and dispossession experienced by Natives in the last days of the West. This piece has some minor chipping along the edges of the wrappers, but is overall in good to very good condition.

Item #17428

Price: $225.00