Interviewer
Hannah Soukup
Files
Description
Tobie Weist describes growing up on a farm in Ohio during the Second World War and what it was like to be surrounded mostly by women. She recalls her schooling at the National Cathedral School for Girls in Washington, D.C. and Springfield High School in Ohio. Weist details experiencing a sexual assault when she was young and how that trauma has always stayed with her. She discusses how the lack of racial and ethnic diversity during her childhood influenced her decision to become an anthropologist. Weist talks about obtaining her B.A. in social work from Ohio State University, then deciding to go back to school for anthropology. She describes attending Stanford University and how the cultural anthropology field at that time was mainly populated with women scholars. Weist discusses her decision to move to the Northern Cheyenne reservation in Montana for her dissertation research, and how much she and her husband liked Montana. She talks about life in Lame Deer, Montana, and how she made friends with a number of Northern Cheyenne women, particularly Belle Highwalking, with whom she conducted a series of oral history interviews. She recalls the powwows and giveaways she attended, playing bingo with Belle and her friends, and why she refused to publish her dissertation after it was completed.
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Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Subjects: Women anthropologists; Women anthropologists – Biography; Women anthropologists – Interviews; Anthropology; Anthropology--Montana; Episcopal Church; Girls’ schools; Native American women; Indigenous women; Indian women – Great Plains; Cheyenne women; Farmers -- Ohio; World War, 1939-1945; Kinship systems; Cheyenne Indians -- Social life and customs; Indians of North America – Montana; Tsis tsis'tas; Cheyenne Nation; Giveaways; Peyote; Powwows -- North America; Indian dance -- North America; Indians of North America -- Rites and ceremonies
Personal Names: Katherine M Weist, 1937- ; Thomas Weist; Belle Highwalking, 1892-1971; Helen Highwalking; Richard E. Little Bear; John Woodenlegs, -1981; Elizabeth Colson, 1917-2016
Corporate Names: University of Montana—Missoula; Stanford University; Ohio State University; Miami University of Ohio; National Cathedral School for GirlsGeographical Names: Springfield (Ohio); Missoula (Mont.); Lame Deer (Mont.); Birney (Mont.)
Occupations: Anthropologists--Montana
Original Date
2-25-2020
Time Period
Twentieth century
Geographic Coverage
Ohio; Montana
Language
eng
Original Collection
Katherine "Tobie" Weist Oral History Project, OH 471
Holding Institution
University of Montana. Mansfield Library. Archives and Special Collections
Digital Publisher
University of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library
Rights Statement
Rights Holder
Copyright to this collection is held by the interview participants and by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula. Permission may be required for use. For more information, please contact Archives and Special Collections at the University of Montana, Mansfield Library.
Oral History Number
OH 471-001
Media Type
Sound; Text
Original Format
1 MP3 file (01:23:30): digital + 1 transcript (17 pp.: 28 cm.)
Digital Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Run Time
01:23:30 minutes
Local Filename
OH_471_001.mp3; OH_471_001.pdf
Citation
Weist, Katherine "Tobie", "Katherine "Tobie Weist Interview, February 25, 2020" (2020). Katherine "Tobie" Weist Oral History Project. 1.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/tobieweist_oralhistory/1