Peaceful Spanish-Osage Relations in the Missouri River Valley, 1763-1780
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BearWorks MSU Graduate Theses Fall 2017 Entangled Trade: Peaceful Spanish-Osage Relations in the Missouri River Valley, 1763-1780 Maryellen Ruth Harman Missouri State University, [email protected] As with any intellectual project, the content and views expressed in this thesis may be considered objectionable by some readers. However, this student-scholar’s work has been judged to have academic value by the student’s thesis committee members trained in the discipline. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student-scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. Follow this and additional works at: https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses Part of the Cultural History Commons, Diplomatic History Commons, Latin American History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Harman, Maryellen Ruth, "Entangled Trade: Peaceful Spanish-Osage Relations in the Missouri River Valley, 1763-1780" (2017). MSU Graduate Theses. 3209. https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3209 This article or document was made available through BearWorks, the institutional repository of Missouri State University. The work contained in it may be protected by copyright and require permission of the copyright holder for reuse or redistribution. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ENTANGLED TRADE: PEACEFUL SPANISH-OSAGE RELATIONS IN THE MISSOURI RIVER VALLEY, 1763-1780 A Masters Thesis Presented to The Graduate College of Missouri State University TEMPLATE In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Masters of Arts, History By Maryellen R. Harman December 2017 Copyright 2017 by Maryellen Ruth Harman ii ENTANGLED TRADE: PEACEFUL SPANISH-OSAGE RELATIONS IN THE MISSOURI RIVER VALLEY, 1763-1780 History Missouri State University, December 2017 Master of Arts Maryellen R. Harman ABSTRACT This thesis examines peaceful Spanish-Osage and Spanish-Missouri relations with an emphasis on the period 1763-1780. Using specific primary source documentation, this study highlights frequent reports from Lieutenant-Governors stationed at St. Louis concerning the thriving fur trade and positive Osage economic exchanges with Spanish- licensed traders. The multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-racial inhabitants and the entangled nature of trade and political interactions in the Missouri River Valley region, specifically in the Upper Louisiana capital, St. Louis, complicated and sometimes undermined peace. During this period, however, the Spanish, Osage, and Missouri nations, sought to overcome these misunderstandings and emphasized instead the mutual benefits of trade and peace. The findings of this thesis challenge the characterization of the Osage as warlike and violent and demonstrate that the Osage understanding of belonging and the use of fictive kinship ties established between St. Louis and the Osage made peace possible in this region. KEYWORDS: Osage, borderlands, territoriality, Native American, Indigenous peace, cultural conflict, Spanish Illinois, Spanish Louisiana, Missouri River Valley, St. Louis, kinship, trade This abstract is approved as to form and content _______________________________ John F. Chuchiak IV, PhD Chairperson, Advisory Committee Missouri State University iii ENTANGLED TRADE: PEACEFUL SPANISH-OSAGE RELATIONS IN THE MISSOURI RIVER VALLEY, 1763-1780 By Maryellen R. Harman A Masters Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College Of Missouri State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts, History December 2017 Approved: _______________________________________ John F. Chuchiak IV, PhD: Committee Chair _______________________________________ Eric W. Nelson, PhD: Committee Member _______________________________________ F. Thornton Miller, PhD: Committee Member _______________________________________ Julie Masterson, PhD: Dean, Graduate College In the interest of academic freedom and the principle of free speech, approval of this thesis indicates the format is acceptable and meets the academic criteria for the discipline as determined by the faculty that constitute the thesis committee. The content and views expressed in this thesis are those of the student- scholar and are not endorsed by Missouri State University, its Graduate College, or its employees. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Just as I argue for the importance of understanding the complex entanglements involving economic, social, and political interactions in the Missouri River Valley region, this project has benefited from direct and indirect contributions from a wide variety of individuals and organizations. It would be impossible to mention each individual who has helped me during this process. I hope, though, that the resulting product demonstrates my sincere appreciation for the much-needed encouragement, advice, and camaraderie that I have received. The remaining errors, of course, are mine. I am grateful for the patience and encouragement of my fantastic colleagues, administrators, and students at North Central Missouri College. Thank you especially to our wonderful librarians who have learned far more than they ever wanted to know about Upper Louisiana in the period 1763-1800 over the past few years; thank you for listening to me as I processed through my research. My global community of friends and fellow historians has expanded during this research process. I am especially grateful to Dr. J. Michael Francis for welcoming me into the network of graduate students while I researched at the Archivo General de Indias (AGI). Thank you to the wonderful archivists at the AGI for answering my many questions. In addition, Dr. Robert J. Moore, Jr., a Historian at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis provided much-needed encouragement at just the right time. Jana Morehouse and Sarah Chalaby, thank you for your willingness to dialogue with me from across the planet about our mutual historical pursuits. I am deeply indebted to my committee members and mentors at Missouri State University. Dr. John Chuchiak, IV, you added me to your already-full schedule and provided the guidance and encouragement that led me to the archives in Seville, Spain. Thank you for your passion and advice; they enriched this study and encouraged me to pursue my own love of research and travel. Dr. Eric Nelson, you have tirelessly answered my many questions on such a wide variety of topics. Thank you for generously sharing your time, wisdom, and passion for world history and teaching with me. I am a better teacher and researcher because of your influence. Dr. F. Thornton Miller, thank you for widening my understanding of British Atlantic Studies. Dr. William Piston and Dr. Marlin Barber, thank you also. I have learned so much from each of my professors; thank you for pushing me to become a better researcher, teacher, and historian in general. Finally, but most importantly, I would like to thank my family for their loving encouragement and tireless support throughout this process and my life. Thank you to my first and best teacher, my mother, who provided the educational foundation that has enabled me to learn from so many other wonderful teachers throughout my educational endeavors. To both of my parents, I owe the deepest debt of gratitude not only for your love and support, but also for always listening to yet one more discussion of Spanish Illinois, the Osage, and the Missouri, or whatever topic has my interest. Granny, thank you for encouraging my love of history and learning. To my siblings, Timothy, Annie, and Peter, thank you for being my constant friends through thick and thin. To my siblings-in-law, Lisa, Sam, and Anna, thank you for choosing to be part of our family; I am so grateful for you and for the nieces and nephews who make life so much fun. Siempre a Dios sea la gloria. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Historiography and Methodology ................................................................. 14 Frontier and Borderlands Historiography ........................................................... 15 St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve Historiography ..................................................... 20 New Social Historiography ................................................................................ 21 Osage and Missouri Historiography ................................................................... 24 Entangling Spanish-Osage Historiography ......................................................... 29 Primary Sources: Osage Ethnology .................................................................... 33 French and Spanish Primary Sources.................................................................. 36 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 39 Chapter 2: Background and Context—Spain’s Louisiana and Illinois Inheritance .......... 42 Early Osage and Missouri Migrations ................................................................ 42 French-Indigenous Relations in the Lower Missouri River Valley Region Pre- 1763 ................................................................................................................... 43 Auguste Chouteau’s St. Louis “Founding Myth” ................................................ 49 Entangled from the Beginning: 1760s St. Louis, Missouri,