Year of Award
2015
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Name
History
Department or School/College
Department of History
Committee Chair
Jeff Wiltse
Commitee Members
William Farr, Wade Davies, Trent Atkins, Frederick Hoxie
Keywords
Blackfeet, Environmental, Montana, Piegan, Religion, Reservation life
Abstract
This dissertation is a new interpretation of the stories told by the Piegan people (now known as the Blackfeet) from 1880-1920, about their relationship with the natural world. It is a history of the transition to reservation life, the economy of the reservation, individual Piegan who told stories, the ethnographers who recorded the stories and what those stories tell us about Piegan views of the natural world. It is a blend of different methodologies within history: archival research, ethnohistory, oral history and first-person narrative. This new interpretation argues that although the transition to reservation life was difficult, the Piegan worked with ethnographers to share their stories, religious ideas and their view of the natural world which provided them stability and continuity since ancient times.
Recommended Citation
LaPier, Rosalyn R., "The Piegan View of the Natural World, 1880-1920" (2015). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 4582.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/4582
© Copyright 2015 Rosalyn R. LaPier