Society of American Indians

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Society of American Indians was a progressive group formed in 1911 by 50 Native Americans, most of them middle-class professional men and women. It was established to address the problems facing Native Americans, such as ways to improve health, education, civil rights, and local government.

When the Dawes General Allotment Act was passed in 1887, it proved to be a disaster for Native Americans. In less than 50 years Native Americans lost more than two thirds of their land. The Dawes Act forced assimilation , which caused Native Americans to give up their tribal ownership of land, in favor of private ownership. This was to become an internal problem for The Society of American Indians.

One of the most important members of the Society, Seneca tribe historian Arthur C. Parker, urged Native Americans "to strike out into duties of modern life and find every right that had escaped them before." While some members supported strengthening tribal values, most favored complete assimilation. The Society's moderate positions on most local issues led to disputes among members, thus weakening the organization.

The Society publicized the accomplishments of famous Native Americans such as Olympic gold medalist Jim Thorpe, and lobbied against the use of such derogatory terms as "buck" and "squaw."

One member Dr. Carlos Montezuma, a Yavapai-Apache, urged the Society to criticize the Bureau of Indian Affairs for mismanaging reservations. Most Society members refused to take such a strong antigovernment stand, and the group's influence dwindled after 1923.

While the Society didn't last long, it provided a forum for Indian leaders and a basis for later attempts to improve conditions for Native Americans.