Publication: Haskell Institute, 1952, N P
First edition. 8vo. Stiff printed wrappers, 66 pp., illustrations, several maps. Well-researched and interesting account of the history of the Blackfeet Indians from the early 1700's to the 1950's, with primary emphasis on the 1800's. An early work, this scarce pamphlet precedes Ewer's standard account of the Blackfeet, Blackfeet, Raiders of the Northwest Plains (Univ. of Okla. Press, 1958). This work is from the Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs. "The Blackfeet were the strongest military power on the northwestern plains throughout the eighteenth century. But the near extinction of buffalo in the late nineteenth century brought dire poverty to the tribe, forcing them to rely in part on the U.S. government for sustenance. In this history of the Blackfeet, historian John C. Ewers relied on his own experience living among the Blackfeet as well as archival research to tell of not only the events that have so drastically affected the Blackfeet way of life, but also the ways the Blackfeet have responded, adapting and preserving their culture in the face of a changing landscape." The book is a careful combination of historic fact and ethnological observations. Very good copy.
Inventory Number: 49041