Resonating Words in Digital Humanities A Brief Study of US Federal Government Treaties with Native American Nations

Kirsten Grünberg #infoshow16 School of Information, Pratt Institute May 17, 2016 Chris Alen Sula, Ph.D. LIS–659–01 Digital Humanities II

Introduction Treaties are living documents that link Native American Nations with the Federal Government of the United States

The multifaceted conditions of these documents continue to raise numerous questions in our post colonial age

A combination of multiple word frequencies and visualizations attempt to provide further insight of a set of treaties with Native American Nations

Original Documents Historical Context

Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations Smithsosonian Institute, Washington, DC, September 21, 2014–Spring 2020 References: Even though these historical documents may have been written on parchment, they do not have an expiration date or become less relevant over time Treaty of Canandaigua, 1794

George Washington Covenant Chain Belt References: Eastern Native American Nations would also formalize the treaties with Wampon belts

Treaty of Canandaigua, 1794 George Washington Covenant Chain Belt Reference:

Methodology Digital Humanities

Research Question How may data analysis and visualization diagrams that represent historical treaties of the United States Federal government, help to better understand the current conditions of Native American Nations?

Specific Questions 1.Which associations and variations of data may be established? 2.Which dominant key themes and arguments may be addressed? 3.Which visualizations may be used to support conclusions?

Process Voyant Tools Excel Spreadsheets Tableau Public Incorporate Data Native American Nation Treaty Title/Date Term Frequencies and Average of Treaties Determine Word Frequencies Analyze Data Design Visualizations

What the Process Actually Means: Step 1

What the Process Actually Means: Step 2 142,581 rows

What the Process Actually Means: Step 3 Numerous steps for each of the 10 sheets

Documents of Project Historical Context

Set of Historical Documents A set of treaties that were compiled by Charles J. Kappler and accessed as electronic resources from Oklahoma State University Kappler, C.J. (Ed.). (1904). Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties. Vol. II (Treaties) in part. Washington : Government Printing Office. Retrieved from:

Documents not included The assembled collection of Kappler omits:  most colonial agreements  many treaties not ratified by the Senate  agreements of the XX Century Shown Harjo, S. (2014). Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations. Washington D.C.: National Museum of American Indian, p.33

Identifying the Treaties Set of treaties compiled by Charles J. Kappler YearsAmount 1770 – – – – – – – TOTAL386

Identifying 142 Native American Nations  ANADARKO (Also ANA-DA-CA)  APACHE  APPALACHICOLA  ARAPAHO (Also ARRAPAHOE; ARAPAHOE)  ARIKARA (Also RICARA; ARICKAREE)  ASSINABOINE  BANNOCK  BELANTSE-ETOA OR MINITAREE (Also BELANTSE-ETEA; BELANTSE-ETA; MINNETAREE)  BLACKFEET (Also BLACKFOOT; BLACKFOOT NATION)  BLOOD  BROTHERTOWN  CADDO (Also CADOE)  CAHOKIA  CALAPOOIA  CAYUGA  CAYUSE  CHASTA  CHEROKEE  CHEYENNE (Also CHAYENNE)  CHICKASAW (Also CHICKESAW)  CHIPPEWA (Also CHIPPEWAY; CHIPAWA)  CHOCTAW (Also CHACTAW; CHAKTAW)  CHRISTIAN INDIANS  CLACK-A-MAS (Also CLOCKAMUS)  COLUMBIA  COLVILLE  COMANCHE (Also CAMANCHE)  CREEKS (Also MUSCOGEE)  CROW  DAKOTA  DE CHUTES  DELAWARE  DWAMISH  EEL RIVER  FIVE NATIONS  FLATHEAD  FOX  GROS VENTRES (Also GROSVENTRES)  ILLINOIS  IOWA  KALAPUYA (Also CALAPOOIA)  KANSA (Also KANZA; KANSAS; KANZAS)  KASKASKIA  KA-TA-KA  KEECHY (Also KEECHE)  KICKAPOO (Also KIKAPO)  KIK-IAL-LUS  KIOWA (Also KIOWAY)  KLAMATH  KOOTENAY  LEPAN  LONG-WHA  LUMMI  MAKAH (Also MAHA)  MANDAN  ME-SEK-WI-GUILSE  MENOMINEE (Also MENOMINIE; MENOMONIE; MENOMONEE)  MIAMI (Also MIAME; MEAMIE)  MIDDLE OREGON TRIBES  MINITAREE OR BELANTSE-ETOA (Also BELANTSE-ETEA; BELANTSE-ETA; MINNETAREE)  MITCHIGAMIA  MODOC (Also MOADOC)  MOHAWK  MOLALA (Also MOLALLA; MOLEL)  MUSCOGEE (Also CREEK)  MUNSEE (Also CHRISTIAN)  NAVAJO (Also NAVAHO)  NEW YORK INDIANS  NEZ PERCÉ  NISQUALLY (Also NISQUALLI)

Identifying 142 Native American Nations  NOO-WHA-HA  OMAHA (OMAHAW)  ONEIDA  ONONDAGA  OSAGE  OTO (Also OTTOE)  OTO & MISSOURI (Also MISSOURIA)  OTTAWA (Also OTTOWA; OTTOWAY)  PAWNEE  PEORIA  PIANKESHAW (Also PIANKASHAW; PIANKISHAW)  PIEGAN  PONCA (Also PONCAR; PONCARAR)  POTAWATOMI (Also POTAWATAMI; POTAWATAMIE; PUTAWATIMI; PATTAWATIMA; PATAWATTIMIE; POTTAWATAMI; POTTAWATIMIE; POTOWATOMI; POTAWATTIMIE; POTTAWATTIMIE; PATTAWATIMA; PUTAWATAME; POTTOWOTOMEE; POTTAWATAMY; POUTAWATAMIE; POTTOWAUTOMIE)  PUYALLUP  QUAPAW  QUI-NAI-ELT (Also QUI-NITE-'L)  QUIL-LEH-UTE (Also QUIL-LEY-YUTE)  RICARA (Also ARIKARA; ARICKAREE)  ROGUE RIVER  SAC & FOX (Also SACK, SAUK, SOCK)  SAH-KU-MEH-HU  SCOTONS  SEMINOLE  SENECA (Also SENEKA)  STOCKBRIDGE  SUQUAMISH  SWINAMISH  TAH-WA-CARRO (Also TOWA-KARRO; TA-WA-KA-RO)  TAMAROIS  TENINO  TETON(Also TEETON)  TONKAWA (Also TONKAWAY)  T'PEEK-SIN  TUM-WATERS  TUSCARORA  UMATILLA  UMPQUA  UPPER PEND D'OREILLE  UTAH  UMPQUA  UPPER PEND D'OREILLE  UTAH  UTE  WACO (Also WACOE)  WALLA-WALLA  WASCO  WEA (Also WEEA)  WINNEBAGO (Also WINEBAGO; WINNEBAYGO)  WITCHETAW (Also WICHITA; WICHETA; OUICHITA)  WYANDOT (Also WYANDOTTE; WIANDOT)  YAKIMA (Also YAKAMA)  YANKTON (Also YANCTON)  ROGUE RIVER  SAC & FOX (Also SACK, SAUK, SOCK)  SAH-KU-MEH-HU  SCOTONS  SEMINOLE  SENECA (Also SENEKA)  SEVEN NATIONS OF CANADA  SHAWNEE (Also SHAWANOE; SHAWANOESE; SHAWANEE; SHAWONEE)  S'HOMAMISH  SHOSHONI (Also SHOSHONE)  SHOSHONI-GOSHIP  SIOUX (Also DAKOTA; DAHCOTAH)  SIX NATIONS  SKAI-WHA-MISH  SKAGIT  S'KLALLAM  SK-TAH-LE-JUM  SNAKE  SNOHOMISH  SNOQUALMOO  SNAKE  SNOHOMISH  SNOQUALMOO  SQUAWSKIN  SQUI-AITL  SQUIN-AH-NUSH (Also SQUIN-AH-MISH)  ST. REGIS  STEHCHASS  STEILACOOM

Data Analysis Examples

How are Native Americans referred to in the treaties? Example 1

Most Common Words – Row Structure

Most Common Words Organic Structure

Indians Nation Nations Tribes United States President PARTIES AGREE Indian Nation

Identifying the Current Conditions of Native American Nations There are 567 federally recognized nations  American Indians  Alaska Natives  Native Hawaiians National Congress of American Indians (n.d.). An Introduction to Indian Nations in the United States. Retrieved from p.2-9 Federal Register. (May 4, 2016). Bureau of Indian Affairs of the US Department of Interior, Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs, Vol. 81, No. 86. Retrieved from

Identifying the Current Conditions of Native American Nations “ This possibility may be better understood by referring to the political enteties of Monaco or Vatican City, which are domestic soverign nations that continue to exercise dominion over their lands within the borders of a larger soverign.” Reference: Shown Harjo, S. (2014). Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations. Washington D.C.: National Museum of American Indian, p.34 Wikipedia. (20 April 2016). Western Shoshone. Retrieved from The Western Shoshone have issued their own passports since 1982

Example 2 What is established in the treaties?

All Words: CLOTH

Leon Shenandoah Tadodaho, Chief of the Six Nations, holds cloth that the United States government delivers each year to maintain the Treaty of Canandaigua, 1794 Reference: nous/leon.htm Image and text: Shown Harjo, S. (2014). Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations. Washington D.C.: National Museum of American Indian, p.58. Text: Jemison, JGP. (n.d.). Book Review: Treaty of Canadaigua Years of Treaty Relations Between the Iroquois Confederacy and the United States. New York Times. Retrieved from Identifying the Current Conditions of Native American Nations “…treaty cloth still arrives by United Parcel Service to our territories during the fall of each year. This has been ongoing since 1794, although the cloth has gone from bolts of calico to unbleached cotton and now to inexpensive muslin.”

Example 3 Which type of pressures did the Native American Nations receive when they signed the treaties?

L Some pressure was received when they were vulnerable before the winter

Identifying the Current Conditions of Native American Nations “Over the last 45 years, there have been 1,000 atomic explosions on Western Shoshone land in Nevada, making the Western Shoshone the most bombed nation on earth.” R esource of text: Laduke, W. (1999). All Our Relations. Native Struggles for Land and Life. Cambridge, MA: South End Press, p.3 Image of map: Wikipedia. (20 April 2016). Western Shoshone. Retrieved from Image and information of author: Honor the Earth. Retrieved from Winona Laduke National Women’s Hall of Fame nominated by Time magazine as one of America’s fifty most promising leaders under forty years of age

Example 4 Which rights are established in the treaties?

L All Words: FISH

L Nations & Treaties Lumni Nation

Lummi Nation has close to 5,000 members and is one of the largest tribal fishing fleets in the country Text: Corps: Coal terminal violates tribal rights, won't permit, Retrived from permit/article_a18438c3-5f5d-538b-b07e-725ee03eaa2c.html Image: Retrieved from Coal Train Facts, Identifying the Current Conditions of Native American Nations TREATY WITH THE DWAMISH, SUQUAMISH, ETC., 1855 The right of taking fish at usual and accustomed grounds… Largest coal-export terminal is denied permit because it violates treaty-protected fishing rights of the Lumni Nation May 10, 2016

Conclusion Data analysis and visualization diagrams which represent historical treaties facilitate the identification of concepts that may help understand the current conditions of Native American Nations

Conclusion The Digital Humanities field also helps reveal underlying social & cultural structures that continue to resonate in our post colonial age

L Oklahoma State University LINK Tableau Public LINK

Thank you!