Some Day a Great Harvest: a History of the Foundation of St. Augustine's Indian Mission, Winnebago, Nebraska, 1888 to 1945
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University of Nebraska at Omaha DigitalCommons@UNO Student Work 12-1-2004 Some day a great harvest: A history of the foundation of St. Augustine's Indian Mission, Winnebago, Nebraska, 1888 to 1945 Patrick M. Kennedy University of Nebraska at Omaha Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork Recommended Citation Kennedy, Patrick M., "Some day a great harvest: A history of the foundation of St. Augustine's Indian Mission, Winnebago, Nebraska, 1888 to 1945" (2004). Student Work. 506. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/studentwork/506 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Work by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “SOME DAY A GREAT HARVEST”: A HISTORY OF THE FOUNDATION OF ST. AUGUSTINE’S INDIAN MISSION, WINNEBAGO, NEBRASKA, 1888 to 1945 A Thesis Presented to the Department of History and the Faculty of the Graduate College University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts University of Nebraska at Omaha by Patrick M. Kennedy December 2004 UMI Number: EP73144 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI EP73144 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, M M 8106- 1346 THESIS ACCEPTANCE Acceptance for the faculty of the Graduate College, University of Nebraska, in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts degree, University of Nebraska at Omaha Committee Chairperson Date A/^J. /# , ZOO*? “SOME DAY A GREAT HARVEST”: A HISTORY OF THE FOUNDATION OF ST. AUGUSTINE’S INDIAN MISSION, WINNEBAGO, NEBRASKA, 1888 TO 1945 Patrick M. Kennedy, M. A. University of Nebraska at Omaha, 2004 Advisor: Dr. Michael L. Tate Controversy has shadowed Christian missionary activity among Native American peoples from its beginnings in the 1500’s to the present day. During the last two centuries, the churches have competed for the souls of Indians on reservations, in the press, in Congress and in the federal courts. At stake were access to the reservations and the use of federal funds in religious institutions. These jurisdictional conflicts reflected and reinforced the contentious relationships between Protestants and Catholics in the United States. The history of St. Augustine’s Indian Mission was shaped by a combination of national and local events. The foundation of the mission was delayed for twenty years in part by the controversy over the use of federal funds by religious institutions. More importantly, the well-established Presbyterian missionaries opposed Catholic attempts to locate on the reservation. The mission was finally established with the help of Mother Katharine Drexel, but only after reservation lands had been opened to extensive white settlement. A series of land rushes soon resulted in the impoverishment of Indian families and further complicated relationships between whites and Indians. While Father Joseph Schell sought to help the Winnebagoes by exposing white corruption, Father John Griese worked to develop employment opportunities and to establish an educational and spiritual ministry. Sioux author Vine Deloria, Jr. has eloquently critiqued the negative impact of missions on Native American cultures. However, Deloria created a stereotype of the missionary and the impact of the missions, which failed to address the complexity of the subject. This study of St. Augustine’s suggests that there was also a positive side to the work of Catholic missionaries, and that a generalized assessment of the missions cannot be written until more case studies have been completed. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Maps.............................................................................................................................. vi List of Photographs............................................................................................................ ... .vi Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1. Patterns on the Land................................................................................................14 2. Protestants, Catholics and Indian Educational Policy ..........................................57 3. A Dream Deferred...................................................................................................96 4. The Right Kind of Priest...................................................................................... 144 5. A Fountain of Life ................................................................................................187 6. Some Day a Great Harvest ........................................................... .....................231 Conclusion: St. Augustine’s Indian Mission in National Perspective ..............................283 Bibliography.......................................................................................................................... 323 Appendix: Photographs of St Augustine’s Indian Mission...............................................331 v List of Maps Map 1: Northeastern Nebraska ...................................................................................... 15 Map 2: Early Settlement Nebraska Territory, 1854- 1866 ......................................... 21 Map 3: Omaha Reservation and Vicinity, circa 1880................................................... 22 Map 4: Thurston County Nebraska ............................................................................... 25 Map 5: Plat of Winnebago............................................................................................. 29 Map 6: Village of Winnebago .......................................... 226 List of Photographs Interior of St. Augustine’s Church ............................................................................... 332 Convent chapel............................................................................................................... 332 Combination first and second grade classroom .......................................................... 333 Combination third and fourth grade classroom .......................................................... 333 Combination fifth and sixth grade classroom............................................................ 334 Combination seventh and eighth grade classroom ..................................................... 334 Girls’ dormitory............................................................................................................ 335 Dining room................................................................................................................... 335 Ironing room................................................................................................................. 336 Sewing room.................................................................................................................. 336 Children of Mary sodality, 1912................................................................................. 337 First Communion class, 1912............................................ 337 Confirmation class, 1912............................................................................................ 338 Japanese drill team...................................................................................... 338 Tambourine drill team, 1912 ........................................................................................ 339 Rose drill team, 1911.................................................................................................... 339 Students dressed in “traditional” clothing, possibly for the play “Coania, the Indian Rose,” 1912............................................................................... 340 St. Augustine students on a mission fundraising tour with Father William Huffer of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, St. Louis, Missouri, March 14, 1923......................................................................................... 340 vi 1 INTRODUCTION One of the major problems of the Indian people is the missionary. It has been said of missionaries that when they arrived they had only the Book and we had the land; now we have the Book and they have the land.1 With these biting, but humorous words, Standing Rock Sioux author Vine Deloria, Jr. addressed the devastating impact of the Christian missionary on the lives of Indian people in his 1969 best seller, Custer Died for Your Sins. Written in a robust satirical style, rich in hyperbole, the book provoked serious discussion, especially on college campuses and in the pages of widely-read opinion magazines about issues central to past and present Indian-Euro-American relations. A popular poster bearing the title of the book appeared in many college dormitory rooms in the years following publication, and Deloria remained a frequent speaker on campuses and