History 360
Frontiers of Native America
Fall 2011
General Info
Instructor: Doug Sackman
Office: Wyatt 138
email: dsackman@ups.edu
phone: x3913
Web Page: http://www.pugetsound.edu/facultysites/doug-sackman/
Office Hours:
Monday and Wednesday: 2.30-3.30pm and
Wednesdays: 10.30-11.30am (I am also available
to meet with you at other times; just email me
for an appointment)
Course Description
While many regard the word “frontier” as being inextricably tied to the grand narrative
of the Euro-American conquest of Native America (one Western historian has dubbed it
the ‘f word’), some historians and anthropologists have sought to reclaim its use,
redefining it not as the line between “savagery and civilization” but as an “inter-group
contact situation.” In addition to its usual meaning as a geopolitical border between
peoples, frontier can also refer to cultural and psychological borders and help us pay
attention to the traffic that crosses such lines. In this course, we will explore frontiers
between and among Indian peoples and Euro-Americans, but attempt to do so, to the
extent possible, from “the native’s point of view.” In fact, the possibilities and perils of
attempting to conceive of such a history will be a central concern of the course.
We begin with a set of readings that attempt to show how a “middle ground” allowing
for cultural exchange was forged on the frontier between native and Euro-American
peoples; these histories also attempt to expose the history of inter-group violence and
the stories told attempting to legitimate the conquest of native America. We proceed
to investigate how native groups confronted national expansion, using documents,
autobiography, ethnohistory and historical literature to view this process from
different vantage points. We will explore how Indian identity and Indian history have
been battled over and re-negotiated since the official closing of the frontier in 1890,
with attention to the interface between anthropology, popular culture, and Native
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Americans. We will look at the processes through which whites have constructed
Indianness for their own uses, as well as the forms through which Indians have
performed their own identities, told their own stories and histories in order to maintain
the vitality of their cultures. While the course will involve an overview of the major
events of Native American history, our approach will move beyond a simple narrative
of “what happened to Indians” to a more complicated consideration of how Indians
have made their own history and how that history has been presented and contested.
Within the larger issue of the frontiers faced by Native Americans since European
arrival in North America, the course will explore four themes:
A) confluence versus conflict—the dynamics of cross-cultural contact and exchange
between different native peoples and newcomers/intruders in specific places and
times, as well as the forces and conditions out of which violence erupted and was
sustained.
B) U.S. colonialism versus Indian resistance and agency in sustaining cultures and
ecologies—how native peoples confronted an expansionist and powerful nation,
including consideration of various strategies of resistance and accommodation and the
struggle to maintain or reestablish a sense of identity, autonomy and sovereignty.
Explores what Native American examples reveal about the connection between cultural
sustainability and ecological sustainability.
C) the nature and politics of history—what counts as history, why, and how are issues
of power and colonialism bound up with the way people (native and non-native) have
represented Indian peoples, their pasts and their futures.
Format and Objectives
In the above description, I have emphasized what “we” will do. I mean that: the course
is meant to be a collaborative investigation. Class time will be devoted largely to
discussions of the readings and the issues they touch upon. I’ve designed the course to
give you a range of opportunities to participate in the class and contribute to its course.
Of course, you are encouraged to actively engage with discussions, raising questions,
making points and otherwise contributing to the flow of the conversation. Note that
the reading load for this course is heavy and in some cases involves material that is
quite dense. The readings for the course are extensive, and essential. Your reactions to
the content, ideas and evidence presented in the reading will be crucial to what we do
in class. Doing the reading in time for class is thus critical to the success of the course.
In reading selections, you will find it useful to take notes and write down particular
questions you might have or topics you would like to discuss. As a student, I found that
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underlining or highlighting passages, while helpful, was not the best way to prepare me
to participate in class discussions. I started to take notes on a separate sheet of paper
(or on my computer), listing the relevant page number on the left and then some idea
or quote that I found interesting next to it. In class, then, I could use this as an index of
my ideas, and then point to a particular passage as a basis for a question or to present
my perspective on a particular issue. You may find that developing a note-taking
system will work for you. Please bring the readings to class on the day for which they
are assigned. If you do not do the readings, you will get little out of the class. If you do
the readings, but have nothing to say about them, then the class as a whole will suffer.
The more you get involved, the more you will get out of the class, and the more
exciting, engaging, and successful the class will be as whole.
Ideally, students in this course:
• Will gain a basic knowledge of the major forces shaping Indian interactions with
others from the 1490s to the Present
• Will learn to see Indians as actors shaping their own history as well as American
history more broadly
• Will learn to use the notion of the frontier as a contact zone to appreciate crosscultural influences and negotiations
• Will learn to see and analyze events from more than one perspective
• Will gain an understanding of the different methods used to explore Indian history
and identity
• Will be able to compare and analyze different forms of history, including scholarly
monographs, oral tradition, film, and fiction
• Will deepen their understanding of the politics of history
• Will develop their skills of oral and written expression, including formulating a
position on an open-ended topic and making effective use evidence to support that
position
• Will develop their sense of how to ask questions about the past and the ability to
propose and evaluate different interpretations of events and documents
• Will see how the connection between cultural diversity and ecological sustainability
are made clear through the experiences of Native peoples
Readings
• Colin Calloway, First Peoples: A Documentary Survey of American Indian History (3rd
edition)
• Greg Sarris, Mabel McKay: Weaving the Dream
• Daniel Richter, Facing East from Indian Country: A Native History of Early America
• James Welch, Fools Crow
• Coll Thrush, Native Seattle
• Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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• History 360 Reader
Course Requirements
1) Participation and short papers (28%)
This category includes reading, attendance & participation in discussions. Regular
attendance is expected. Students can participate in class by making points and
connections, raising questions, listening and responding to the comments of other
students, and otherwise engaging with the flow of the discussion. Informal writing
assignments, which will not be given a letter grade but will be assigned a number
from 0-4 that assesses their general quality, include 5 1-2-page Discussion Papers,
1 film review paper, 1 document gathering/historical news report assignment, and
informal writing in class. A variety of other short assignments for class preparation
may also be required. Active listening and asking questions and making comments
are integral parts of class participation.
2) A 10-minute Class Presentation on a topic of the student’s choice (5%)
3) Interpretive essay I: a 4-6 page paper due in Week 6 (21%)
4) Interpretive essay II: a 4-6 page paper, due in Week 12 (21%)
5) Final Project: a research essay: A 7-10 page paper on a topic relevant to the course,
making use of both primary and secondary sources. You may wish to consult with
me about ideas for the paper. The final project is due Thursday of Finals Week
(25%)
Note on Quiz Possibilities: depending on the quality of class discussions and the
collective sense of how thoroughly and completely the reading is being done, we may
need to add quizzes or other assignments to the course itinerary (in which case, the
percentage weight of some of the above categories will be reduced to make room for
the quizzes, etc).
Grading Policies
The work in all of the above categories will be taken into account to determine your
final grade. In general, the writing asks you to go far beyond the recitation of facts and
information. You will be formulating your own ideas and arguments, gathering and
organizing evidence to support your positions, and putting it all together in finished
essays that are at their best polished, engaging, original, creative, and/or provocative. I
will distribute more specific criteria that I use in evaluating your longer papers. The
Prep Papers are more informal in orientation, and one of their purposes is to allow you
to pursue your ideas and hone your writing talents without the pressure of grades. The
following statements will give you some idea what level of work and participation
constitutes what kind of grade in this course:
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Work that is of D-level or below does not rise to the standards of expectations in the
class, which are reflected in the description of C-level work.
C-level work is considered both average and respectable in this course. Work that
merits a C represents a serious engagement with the class and the course materials by
the student. For papers, this means that the paper deals with its topic, makes use of
the proper number and type of sources, shows that the student has grappled with the
readings and issues, and advances a central idea or thesis. Yet, the thesis may be vague
and there may be problems with the mechanics, organization or clarity of the paper. In
terms of participation, the C-level student regularly attends, is attentive to what is
going on in the classroom, occasionally offers ideas and perspectives in class,
completes the Prep Papers in satisfactory fashion, and willingly contributes to small
group discussions.
B-level work is very good. It represents both serious engagement with and reasonable
mastery of the course material. The B-level student maintains their degree of
engagement throughout the course, and usually their work shows improvement.
Papers that merit a B are well-crafted and organized, advance a central thesis that
addresses the paper’s topic in an interesting or illuminating fashion, are mostly free
from mechanical and grammatical errors, draw effectively on a range of materials, and
are generally persuasive and cogent in their argument. B-level participation involves
regular attendance and participation in class discussions. Comments and contributions
are often based on a careful consideration of the readings. For example, such a
student may sometimes point to a specific passage in the text to back up or develop
their comment or question.
A-level work is exceptional. Not only do A-level papers display all of the good qualities
of a B-paper, their central argument is advanced with an exceptionally impressive
degree of sophistication, originality or insight. The paper's organization, craft and use
of evidence are all excellent. In terms of participation, contributions to class discussions
are both frequent and particularly insightful.
Late Policy: Assignments that are up to 24 hours late will receive a 1/3 grade reduction
(e.g. a B would become a B-); assignments turned in more than one but less than two
days late will be lowered 2/3 of a grade; work turned in three days late will be lowered
a full grade; work turned in beyond three-days late will be lowered a 1 and 1/3rd grade.
Academic Honesty
Faith in your academic integrity is vital to all we do at UPS. It should go without saying
that the college expects that all work submitted for evaluation in courses will be the
product of the student's own labor and imagination. Of course, you are free to speak
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with others about your work and share ideas and perspectives. In writing your papers,
though, you are developing your own ideas and arguments. You can incorporate the
ideas or words of others in your own paper, but to do so you must properly cite your
sources. Turning in a paper that attempts to pass off the words or ideas of others as
your own constitutes plagiarism (see The Logger for more information). Like other
forms of cheating, plagiarism is a contamination that pollutes our environment.
Students who knowingly turn in work that involves plagiarism or is marred by other
forms of cheating will not pass the course, though more severe penalties may be
recommended for egregious cases.
One can understand the temptation to turn in illegitimate work: students working
under intense pressures may turn to cheating as an easy way out. But to do so, you not
only steal the work of others, you cheat yourself and your fellow students as well. A
real degree from UPS cannot be obtained through looting. If you are worried about
your grade or completing an assignment, please come and talk to me. I can work with
you to help you get over the hurdles and make it possible for you to get something
positive out of the course.
Discussion Papers
The class is divided into “groups”—A, B, C, D and E. (This is basically for the purpose
of dividing up the class—you will be writing your discussion papers individually, not
in groups). Discussion Papers for your group are due on the days indicated in the
course schedule with your group’s letter in brackets next to the date (see below).
Under no circumstances, including computer failure, may Discussion Papers be
turned in late, since their purpose is to be available for use in the class discussion on
the day on which they are due. (In certain circumstances, I may allow you to switch
the day for which you write a discussion paper, but you must ask me about this at
least 24-hours in advance). Discussion Papers should be typed and between 1 and 2
pages long. The Discussion Papers involve two components: a topic discussion and an
issue identification:
Topic Discussion: For the topic discussion, I would like you to write 2-3 paragraphs
or so about some aspect of the reading for that day that grabs your attention
and you would like to discuss. I am not looking for you to summarize the
reading. Instead, I would like you to identify some theme or issue raised in the
reading and interpret its significance. You need not deal with the reading as a
whole; in fact, you may want to focus on a small part of the larger reading. You
may wish to draw comparisons between the readings of the day, or between the
reading of the day and previous readings. You may wish to discuss how the
reading relates to some larger issue in the class. You must include at least one
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quotation from the reading in your paper (normally, stronger papers use such
citations). Please provide the page number in a footnote or in parentheses for
your quotations. I will on occasion ask you to summarize or read your topic
discussion for the class.
Issue ID: The second component of the Discussion Paper is the identification of some
issue that can be suitable for class discussion. This can be one or two sentences
long, and it can be as simple as identifying a quote from one of the readings that
you find illuminating and interesting or questionable and briefly stating what
important issue you see in the quote. You might also raise a point of comparison
between readings. The issue may be related to your topic discussion, though it
need not be. Be prepared with these: I will on occasion ask you to present your
issue id in class as a way to start discussion.
Presentations
Presentations should be no more than 10 minutes long, but the format for the
presentation is up to you. However you decide to present your findings, the best
presentations are well-organized, rehearsed, informative, interesting, and engaging.
They at once do a good job of presenting information in an interesting manner and
conveying a few larger points or conclusions about the topic. While your
presentations no doubt will be informative, we will also be interested in your
interpretations. Thus, you might want to consider these kinds of questions: What
significance do you see in your topic? How does it relate to other aspects of Native
American history we’ve looked at in the class? Does it tell us something about the
“frontier” between Indians and whites; does it speak to how issues of identity,
power, or survival were negotiated or fought over?
On the day of your presentation, please also turn in an annotated bibliography
of at least three sources consulted (at least one of which should not be a web-based
source, that is, a scholarly book or article; for books, use Simon or Summit; to find
articles, use the database America: History and Life). The annotation can simply be 24 sentences describing the source and the way it is useful. You may wish to ask me for
ideas for sources.
[This should give you some idea of the grading criteria: a presentation that is
researched adequately, is informative, and is organized effectively is roughly a B-/B;
presentations that manage to be engaging and are especially interesting in their
interpretations and/or imaginative and creative in their presentation move up higher
on the scale; presentations that are less well-organized, poorly presented, drag on
beyond the time allotted, and/or are not very informative move down on the scale.]
Historical News Reports
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On one occasion, you will be assigned to gather an historical
document related to the course readings or themes.
For this historical news report, I am asking you to locate a
newspaper or magazine article from the period we are reading
about or that is topically related in some way. Then, write a
paragraph about what significance you find in the article,
and/or how it relates to the reading or course themes. Please
bring a copy of the article and your paragraph to class. There
are somewhat more specific parameters listed in the course
schedule itself when your group has a historical news report
due.
Below are listed several online full-text databases where
newspaper or magazine articles from the mid-19th century
through the 20th century can be found. Experiment with
different search terms and setting the date parameters in
different ways (e.g., you could focus on a particular year or
decade) until you find an article of interest.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers - (Click on "clear all
databases," then scroll to the bottom to the Historical
Newspapers section and select the Historical New York Times
(run begins in 1851), Wall Street Journal, or Christian
Science Monitor, and Los Angeles Times. The New York Times
goes back the furthest. Full text and full image available.
You can get to this through the "Proquest Newspapers" entry in
the library's Database index: http://www.ups.edu/x9763.xml
Making of America - Digital library of primary sources in
American social history from the antebellum period through
reconstruction. Provides full-text access to several
nineteenth-century periodicals. [Cornell University]
http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/
The Nation Digital Archive - [Scroll down; Ebsco has
alphabetized The Nation under the letter "t" instead of "n."]
Foreign affairs, local and national politics, education and
law, 1865-1999 (full text, full image).
You can find this under "N" through the Library's Digital
Database index:
http://www.ups.edu/x9763.xml
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COURSE OUTLINE
Note: All readings from the History 360 Reader are designated by a number; those from
the books are bulleted. Readings are to be completed before class on the day
designated. The letter in bracket designates a group name; members of that group
have Discussion Papers due that day.
Part I
The Politics of Indian History: Who controls the stories, and how
are they told?
Week 1: The Metanarrative of Indian History: Stereotypes & History
Aug 29Tu: Introduction
Th: Frontiers of Historical Imagination [Groups A and B: normally, you are free to
choose whatever aspect of the reading you wish for your topic discussion and issue id,
but for the first session I would like those in Group A to pose an Issue ID related to the
Calloway, Turner, and/or Cayton and Teute readings, and for those in Group B to pose
an Issue ID related to the Axtell and/or Momaday readings; you are free to discuss any
of the readings in your Topic Discussion]
• Calloway, First Peoples, 1-6
1. Frederick Jackson Turner, from “The Significance of the Frontier in American
History” (1893)
2. Cayton and Teute, “On the Connection of Frontiers”
3. James Axtell, “The Ethnohistory of Native America”
5. N. Scott Momaday, “Personal Reflections”
Week 2: The Enduring and Surprising history of Mabel McKay
Sept 5Tu [Groups C and D]: Native Identity in a Mixed World
• Sarris, Mabel McKay, 1-84
Th [E] Sustainability: Culture and Environment
• Sarris, Mabel McKay, 84-end
Please visit the California Indian Basketweavers Association website, and consider their
self-portrayal in relation to the book and the issue of cultural and ecological
sustainability: http://www.ciba.org/
Film: part of In the Light of Reverence
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Week 3: Time, History, Myth
Sept 12Tu [A]
7. Peter Nabokov, from A Forest of Time
• Calloway, (intro to chapter 1 and " A Navajo Emergence Story"), pp. 14-19; and 37-46
Part II
Contact & the Middle Ground, 1492-1800
Th [B]: First Contacts
• Richter, Facing East from Indian Country, 1-40.
• Calloway, 19-36; picture essay: Early American Towns and Cities, 63-70.
Week 4: Missions, Empires, Nations and Identity
Sept. 19Tu [C]:
• Richter, chs. 2 & 3
• Calloway, “Two Views of King Philip,” 130-139; also, look at his “images of invasion”
photoessay (140-145)
Recommended: Calloway, chapter 2
Wed Evening Screening of Black Robe, 5.30-7.30pm
Th [D]
• Richter, 110-129
• Calloway, “The Jesuits in New France,” 119-130
• Calloway, 92-98
Film review paper due in class: a 1-2 page discussion of some aspect of Black Robe, in
which you make at least one citation from the Jesuit missionary Jean de Brébeuf’s
document in Calloway [note: two films are screened for the class, and you need to
write a film review paper on one of the two]
Week 5: The New Nation: Negotiating with Indians and Playing Indian
Sept 26Tu [E]
<Historical News Report, Group B: (You may wish to look for an article that discusses
Indians as a "race"; you might search for keywords or citation/abstract words "red
man" or "redskin," and consider how the term is used in the article you select; choose
an article published before 1900]]
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• Richter, ch 6
• Calloway, 154-173
Th [A]
10. Philip Deloria, “Playing Indian”
• Calloway, 206-210
< Historical News Report, Group A (You may wish to look for an article in which Indians
or Indian culture are portrayed positively, indirectly or directly, or of white Americans
somehow "playing Indian" (you can use that as a search term); choose any article
published before 1925]
Week 6: Captivity and Removal
Oct. 3Tu [B] Captivity Narratives
<Historical News Report, Group D (You may wish to look for an article on whites being
held captive by Indians (you could entering keywords such as "white captive by Indians"),
about Indians in "white" society (in cities or in boarding schools [such as Carlisle
Institute or the Sherman Institute]), or an article about Indians that reflects
stereotypes; choose an article published before 1910]
• Calloway, 173-175 and Mary Jemison's account, 191-197.
9. John Jewitt, Captive Among the Nootka (Mowachaht)
Part III
Confronting Manifest Destiny, 1789-1890
Th [C] Dislocation, Invasion and the Law
• Calloway, 218-240; 254-275
Week 7: Whites (Napikwans) enter the world of the Blackfeet
Oct 10Tu [D]
<Historical News Report, Group C; (You may wish to look for an article about the
Cherokee Indians, the Blackfeet/Blackfoot Indians, about the Crow Indians, about war
between Indians and whites, choose an article published before 1900]]
• James Welch, Fools Crow, 1-125.
Th
There is no class today, as I will be away at the Western History Conference;
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Please read: Calloway, 290-327
• continue Fool’s Crow
<<Interpretive Essay due Friday by 5pm; turn them in to the folder next to my box,
Wyatt 138>>
Week 8: Visions and Massacres
Oct 17Tu: Fall Break
Th [C]
• James Welch, Fools Crow, 129-288
23. Barbara Cook, "A Tapestry of History and Re-imagination: Women in James Welch's
Fools Crow"
• Calloway, 313-316
Week 9: Enemies and "Friends", Military and Cultural Assaults
Oct 24Tu [D]
14 Patricia Limerick, “Haunted America”
13 Documents on Little Bighorn
continue Fool’s Crow
Th [E]:
• Welch, 288-end
Week 10:
Oct 31Tu [A]
• Calloway, Chief Joseph’s “View of Indian Affairs,” 344-355
15 selections from Charles Eastman
22 Black Elk, on the Ghost Dance
recommended: 16 Philip Deloria, “Representation: Indian Wars, The Movie”
Th [B] “Kill the Indian and Save the Man”
• Calloway, ch 6, 372-425
Part V
13
The Northwest Case: Indians and Others in Seattle and Puget
Sound, from the “First Time” to the Present
Week 11:
Nov 7Tu [C]
12 Seattle’s Speech
• Thrush, Native Seattle, vii-xi; xiii-xvii, 3-16
20 James Clifford, “Four Northwest Coast Museums”
• consult the "Atlas of Indigenous Seattle", in Thrush, 209-248.
Th: [D]
11 Treaty of Hahd-Skus/Point No Point
• Thrush, 17-65
Recommended:
<Historical News Reports, group E: Find an article about Indians in Washington or the
Northwest before 1950>
Week 12
Nov 14Tu [E]
• Thrush, 66-78; 105-161
• please consult Chinook jargon website:
http://chinookjargon.home.att.net/
Th: [A]
• Thrush, 162-207
• Calloway, 438-460, 502-506
<<Friday: Interpretive Essay II Due by 5pm>>
Week 13
Nov 21Tu [D] Film, Wounded Knee
• Calloway, 460-472; 493-500
Th: Thanksgiving
Week 14: Treaties, War, and Representation
Nov 28Tu: Film: Skins or Smoke Signals
14
• Calloway, 531-560
Th [E]
• Alexie, Absolutely True, pt 1
• Calloway, 585-590
<Film discussion paper due (if you didn’t do one for Black Robe]
Week 15:
Dec 5Tu:
• Alexie, Absolutely True, pt. 2
17 Vine Deloria, Jr., “Anthropologists and Other Friends”
<<Thursday of Finals Week: Final Paper Due by 5pm>>
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