Maps and Native NationsUsing Maps to Present Historical Events
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A sequence of maps is one of the best ways to present historical events that involve land clearly. This simple pair illustrates the loss of land experienced by Teton Lakota (Sioux) people from the time of the good-faith 1868 Treaty which is first shown:  Gold was discovered in the Black Hills, sacred to the Lakota people (see Lakota Astronomy for another kind of mapping -- Black Hills to constellations). The treaty -- which forbade non-Indians to even cross some of ths Nation -- was violated by miniers and army protecting them and harassing Indians who were legally on their own Nation's land.  But the major loss of the land came about through th Dawes Allottment Act of 1883. The first-stage violation of the Treaty is shown in green, Boundaries were simply redrawn. In successive stages, further land was lost, leaving the Lakota with the reservations indicated in red at the end of the 19th century. There have been further land losses since.
Scanners have become quite cheap. They are the third-highest priority item for school purchase, right after the computer and the printer. If you have one, you can scan, then modify (using paint software such as PhotoShop) any sqeuence of maps that will clarify class studies. If you are creating a web page, don't forget maps to show where your reserve is. On Canada's SchoolNet an otherwise excellent presentation of the Stoney-Kettle Point Ojibwa Nation is weakened because I remain unclear as to where the reserve is located, and completely unclear about the sequence of land losses described in the history. A few maps would make all the difference there. And if in effect you're advertising your cultural resources, tourist services, or casino, of course you should use maps to show how to get there! |
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Webmistress --Paula Giese. Text and graphics copyright 1995. 1996.
Last updated: Sunday, January 21, 1996 - 8:10:27 AM
Those who follow military matters know how important maps are for understanding engagements and battles or war conduct and outcomes. Maps also can convey atmosphere, feeling, and a sense of history. The large map that clicking here will show can't be reduced, because at the time I scanned it (from a 1974 Wounded Knee occupation AIM leadership trial exhibit, 1974) scanner quality was quite poor. It does convey what it was like to be one of the Indian defenders, surrounded in the declivity where the 1890 massacre took place from the same ridgelines.
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