Federal paternalism and the Prairie Potawatomi : an analysis of sources among holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration-Central Plains Region.

Abstract

The history of the Potawatomi and the relocation of the Prairie Band to Kansas is a story that has been recounted in published sources which provide the history of the tribe from prehistoric contact through recent years. What has not been recounted until now, is the administrative process that guided this experience, that is, the operations within the agency which involved the agent and the Potawatomi. The purpose of this thesis is to facilitate access and encourage historical inquiry into these documentary resources. The body of evidence in the official record of the Potawatomi Agency document incidents, routine experiences both important and prosaic, in Potawatomi history, and how their culture and way of life changed. These records and this study offer a different perspective from other Potawatomi studies. With its availability, researchers may find either additional support for, or challenges to, the assumptions about the Prairie Potawatomi and their life on the reservation in Kansas. This thesis was undertaken as part of a pioneering cooperative effort between Emporia State University's Master of Arts Program in American History and the National Archives and Records Administration-Central Plains Region (NARA-CPR), in Kansas City, Missouri. The thesis is based on the assemblance of primary sources from seventy five cubic feet of archival holdings. The process included the systematic and comprehensive appraisal, arrangement, and description of the records revealing the application of government policy and its effect on the lives ofthe Prairie Potawatomi. The inventory forms the most significant portion of a study laying the foundation for original interpretative historical inquiry. This inventory and a derivative interpretive history will be published by NARA as a guide to these records and will be distributed for research use to the agency's patrons. As such, this work is an original contribution to the history of the Potawatomi and the Office of Indian Affairs. A traditional thesis seeks out primary sources and material organized for the researcher's use. This project involved the additional elements of preparation of materials and interdisciplinary study. In this instance, all Potawatomi material in the custody of NARA-CPR has been prepared for the use of scholars. This thesis is an example of the systematic work that must be done in order for other researchers to use primary source materials. This sort of project provides students with the opportunity to work with original documents, to learn the intricate procedures of records' management, and to write an administrative history. As NARA inventory, this thesis must be edited and revised prior to publication. The final publication will conform to NARA's standards. The standardized format is intentional, and designed to limit confusion on the part of the researching public. An official administrative history is also included with the inventory. It is a product of deliberate standardized format for the reasons stated above. This stylistic presentation is intentional as well, so that a uniform level of information is provided for research use. In other words, what is included, is included deliberately; what is left out is left out deliberately. Therefore, the "history" speaks to a narrow perspective, a Federal point of view, and the records speak for themselves in support of the interpretation presented.