The Indian
Few officers' wives noted the tribal or cultural affiliations of the Indians they met. To these women, as to most nineteenth century Americans, Indians were a singular race with few cultural distinctions, often identified too simply as Indians, or The Indian. Few recognized the hundreds of tribes, the dozens of linguistic groups, nor the sub-groups or bands of tribes they encountered. The most important distinction between one group of Indians and another was friend or enemy. Friends, such as the Arikara, were those who served as scouts or mail carriers for the Army and often lived near the garrison with their families. Enemies, also called hostiles, were those who attacked military posts, settlers, or soldiers on campaign, or who refused to settle on reservations or participate in treaty negotiations. Finer delineations were seldom part of the descriptions the officers' wives included in their records. In common conversation, Indians were often referred to as "Lo," or "Mrs. Lo," sort of a universal name for any individual Indian which was a corruption of Alexander Pope's phrase (from his "Essay on Man") "Lo, the poor Indian!" (for example, see Winne, p. 8 or Custer, Boots and Saddles, p. 158) Occasionally, they also used, usually in a sarcastic manner, the term "noble savage."
That there is racism in these memoirs is uncontested. However, in order to understand the nature of racism and the ways in which concepts of gender feed racial stereotypes and inter-racial hostilities, it is necessary to read and explore views of nineteenth century writers on the subject. It is important to understand that by their letters home and their memoirs the officers' wives established themselves as experts with first-hand knowledge of the Indian tribes of the Great Plains. Their influence was subtle, but pervasive.
