University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1997 Demographic view of Northern Cheyenne women in 1900 Reno L. Charette-LoParco The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Charette-LoParco, Reno L., "Demographic view of Northern Cheyenne women in 1900" (1997). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 5371. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/5371 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Maureen and Mike MANSFIELD LIBRARY The University ofMONTANA Permission is granted by the author to reproduce this material in its entirety, provided that this material is used for scholarly purposes and is properly cited in published works and reports. ** Please check "Yes'' or "No" and provide signature ** Yes, I grant permission No, I do not grant permission _____ Author's Signature /<y D ate___________ 3 / p 3 / m_____________ Any copying for commercial purposes or financial gain may be undertaken only with the author’s explicit consent. A DEMOGRAPHIC VIEW OF NORTHERN CHEYENNE WOMEN IN 1900 by Reno L. Charette- LoParco B .A. The University of Montana 1990 presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts The University of Montana 1997 Approved by: Chairperson > ( I Dean, Graduate School 3 '2 S Date UMI Number: EP40835 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. UMT PybfeMfig UMI EP40835 Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). 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, Ml 48106-1346 ABSTRACT Charette-LoParco, Reno L., M.A. February 1998 History A Demographic View of Northern Cheyenne Women in 1900 Committee Chair: Kenneth Lockridge, P h . D . \ ^ / The history and roles of Northern Cheyenne women during the early reservation period from 1884 to 1900 have not been adequately addressed in the current scholarship. New discoveries of Northern Cheyenne women’s experiences during this period of rapid change lie in ethnological methods of quantitative analysis. The combination of personal narratives by women who lived during this era, demographic profiles obtained from census records and the historical record offer new scholarship towards understanding a richer view of Northern Cheyenne women. Quantitative analysis of the 1900 U.S. 12th Census data first required corrections for age misclassification and matching biological children to their mothers. Secondly, the 1900 crude birth rates (CBR) and total fertility rates (TFR) were compared to earlier censuses collected by the Indian Agents in 1886,1890, and 1894. The CBR and TFR trends showed a population decline. Additionally, the census data revealed that most households with children in 1900 also included a grandmother. Consequently, the number of grandmothers was compared against the population trends to determine if their presence in a home effected fertility outcomes. Fertility comparisons between pre-reservation mothers and early reservation mothers were based on the reproductive histories of the elder women and those of the reproductive women of 1900. Marriage patterns were examined to reveal the average person’s martial expectations for 1900. Finally, the effects of social conditions on fertility and cultural continuity were examined. The results of this demographic study have revealed that reservation mothers birthed more babies than the pre-reservation mothers, yet the population was not growing accordingly. The women preferred midwives and sought the physicians treatment only in life threatening cases and as a last resort. The effects of poverty, infectious diseases, malnutrition and deplorable living conditions reduced fertility, increased child mortality, and forced cultural adaptations in the struggle for survival. On the average, women in their current marriages had married at the age of twenty-three and had been married for fourteen years during which they had birthed three children and at least one had died. Young women experienced the most marital shifting from being single to becoming divorced. However, long term monogamous marriages remained the dominant pattern while polygamy significantly declined. The reservation ration system brought with it an increase in households headed by divorced and widowed women which suggests that with the loss of men’s traditional hunting roles the women became more independent. In response to the early reservation conditions and polices the Northern Cheyenne persisted in their language, incorporated Anglo materials into traditional styles of dress, maintained the authority of grandmothers in parenting and remained culturally distinct. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Tables.....................................................................................................................vi List of Figures....................................................................................................................vii List of Plates....................................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... ix Preface............................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1. American Indian Women: Scholarship Beyond the Stereotypes 1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 1 2. Northern Cheyenne Women’s Roles Prior to Reservation Life 8 Resiliency and Adaptation to Change: 1600's to 1800's ..................... 8 The Time of the Dogs........................................................................... 9 First Contact with Ve?ho?e .................................................................. 10 The Time of Com Planting and First Guns .......................................... 11 The Time of the Horse and So?taaeo?o .............................................. 13 Epidemics, Massacres and Political Divisions ..................................... 14 The War Years...................................................................................... 16 The Scattering and Gathering of the People ........................................ 16 3. Population Profile of the Northern Cheyenne in 1900 ........................... 27 Quantitative Methods: A New Direction in American Indian History .................................................................................... 27 Page Expanding the Scope of American Indian Women’s History through Quantitative Analysis ........................................................... 28 Defects in the Data and Difficulties of Analyzing Another Culture’s Perspective ......................................................................... 29 Demographic Research of the Northern Cheyenne............................ 33 Sketching the Protrait of Northern Cheyenne Women in 1900 ......... 36 Identity by Name................................................................................. 43 Age and Gender Distribution ............................................................. 48 Unmarried Women ............................................................................. 52 Monogamous Women ........................................................................ 58 Polygamous Marriages....................................................................... 64 The Rise and Fall of Birth Rates from 1886 to 1900 ........................ 67 Elder Women ...................................................................................... 71 Reproductive Women ........................................................................ 76 4. Profile of Social Conditions on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation 1884 to 1902 ................................................................... 82 Parenting Networks ............................................................................ 82 Women’s Health ................................................................................. 89 The Rations System........................................................................... 91 Assimilation Measurements ............................................................... 95 Summary............................................................................................ 104 5. White Cow Woman: A Fictional Summary .......................................... 108 iv Bibliography LIST OF TABLES Page Comparison of Kinship Terms ......................................................... 31 Differences in Census Calculations of the Northern Cheyenne