Spiznet
Fri, Jul-21-06, 06:15
By ROBIN BEAVER Star-Tribune correspondent Thursday, July 20,
2006 [oas:casperstartribune.net/news/wyoming:Middle1]
As an archaeologist, Lawrence L. Loendorf spends much of his
time trekking through the basins and mountains of Wyoming
and Montana.
He digs for the truth, peeling away layers of history in
nature's landscape. He and other archaeologists recover
material remains so that this and future generations may
understand the origins of prehistoric and long-ago societies.
But recently, Loendorf's aim has been to expose layer
upon layer of untruths not found in the ground or on
rocks, but in literature that dates back to the days of
the early Yellowstone National Park and exploration of
the American West.
For the last decade, Loendorf has been working on his own
book, "Mountain Spirit: The Sheep Eater Indians of
Yellowstone," which presents a vivid picture of the vanished
way of life of the Sheep Eater Indians, a group whose
existence and accomplishments have been largely ignored in
histories of Native peoples.
"Mountain Spirit" endeavors to recreate the Sheep Eater way of
life before they were scattered on reservations.
The Sheep Eaters were a group of people who lived in the
higher altitudes of the Greater Yellowstone region in the
pre-park era and are tragically "maligned and misrepresented"
in Wyoming's literature and beyond, Loendorf said in a recent
interview.
Along with co-author Nancy Medaris Stone, Loendorf reveals how
the Sheep Eaters' reputation of being "feebleminded, cowardly,
defenseless dwarfs" has been perpetuated by numerous sources,
some of which are outright lies, say the authors.
In fact, they were advanced peoples who had a very functional
mountain life, posits Loendorf, a professor at New Mexico
State University whose research focuses on the Great Plains,
U.S. Southwest ethnography and rock art.
"They were healthy mountain people who were at the
topside of their culture," Loendorf added. "They were
magnificent people."
Changing the image of Indians
In 1994, Loendorf & Associates was granted a contract to do an
ethnographic overview of American Indians in Yellowstone. In
the course of their work, Loendorf, along with cultural
anthropologist Peter Nabokov, "discovered that there was
terrible, terrible misinformation about the Indians altogether
in Yellowstone."
At the same time, Michael Finley, the new park superintendent
at the time, held a three-day park-wide symposium. Yellowstone
workers, including rangers, interpreters -- and Loendorf --
were in the room.
Finley brought in Yellowstone historian and speaker Aubrey
Haines, who had written, among other things, a two-volume
series of the park. Haines "was a man of considerable
character," according to Loendorf, whose own talk focused on
how Indians in the pre-park days might have lived.
"And then Aubrey stood up -- a man whom I admired; a man who
was 'National Park Service' to the core; a man who was 'Mr.
Yellowstone.'"
Haines said, "'There were never any Indians in this park
except for a few Sheep Eaters, and they were poor for even
Indians.'"
It was a shocking statement, one that compelled Loendorf to
act: "I said to myself that day, 'I'm going to change the
image of Indians in Yellowstone National Park.'"
Unfounded rumors
Haines, though, was simply repeating what he had uncovered in
the research -- literature filled with untruths, much of which
is revealed in "Mountain Spirit."
In large part, early explorers who happened upon the Sheep
Eaters in their mountain environment had the impression that
they were powerless and even afraid of the geysers. In
reality, they used an intelligent approach and pulled back,
rather than put women and children in harm's way.
As described in "Mountain Spirit," Western explorers such as
Captain Benjamin Bonneville talked of a "hermit race, scanty
in number that inhabit the highest and most inaccessible
fastnesses. ...They have peculiarities of their own, which
distinguish them from all other Indians. They are miserably
poor; own no horses, and are destitute of every convenience to
be derived from an intercourse with the whites. .=2E.These
forlorn beings, forming a mere link between human nature and
the brute, have been looked down upon with pity and
contempt..."
In great measure, the mindset still goes on today, says
Loendorf.
Think about human beings and especially male interaction. If
somebody is considered to be a weakling, they don't measure
up, he explains. Take professional football or basketball, for
example. Players aren't "worthy warriors" if they don't
measure up.
"To some extent, the Sheep Eaters were considered non-worthy
warriors, because if people came into the mountains, they'd
retreat rather than engage in battle."
On the contrary, these Indians were fierce warriors who had
all of the weapons and everything they needed, so that if they
were cornered, they were perfectly capable of defending
themselves, according to Loendorf.
One cannot fault the U.S. government for its mission to
create something in the West as wonderful as Yellowstone
National Park. "What I fault," says Loendorf, "is that no one
has corrected the idea about what the Indians in the park
were like. They've continued, to this day, to use old
disparaging remarks."
Reader friendly
Nevertheless, "Mountain Spirit" is much more than a story
about falsehoods. Mostly, it illuminates the Sheep Eaters'
rich and abundant way of life.
It shows how these robust people constructed the most powerful
horn bows in North America, lived in well-constructed shelters
and made expertly tailored clothing.
An integral part of Sheep Eater culture was its large dogs,
"indispensable hunting and trekking companions," according
to the book.
Co-author Stone played a vital role in the manuscript,
says Loendorf.
Stone aimed to provide a "reader-friendly context" for
Loendorf's research - "one that would help readers appreciate
Sheep Eaters as living, breathing people and not simply
long-ignored figures from the past."
"Mountain Spirit" includes photographs, lithographs, and a
number of color drawings and sketches of Sheep Eater lifeways
by artist Dav=EDd Joaquin.
Joaquin used now-yellowed first printed edition of the Lewis
and Clark journals to study their clothing and lifestyles.
And, he used his imagination in depicting the Sheep Eaters.
His family raises Native dogs, and his father's dog Nasha was
used as a model for the book.
"Nasha has the instinct of her ancestors' dogs," says Joaquin.
"I take her for a walk, and she's got that herding instinct
and a broad back for carrying packs."
Loendorf will be signing books at Blue Heron in Casper
today from 3-6 p=2Em. For information, call the bookstore
at (307) 265-3774.
Robin Beaver is a freelance writer in Rock Springs, Wyo.
2006 [oas:casperstartribune.net/news/wyoming:Middle1]
As an archaeologist, Lawrence L. Loendorf spends much of his
time trekking through the basins and mountains of Wyoming
and Montana.
He digs for the truth, peeling away layers of history in
nature's landscape. He and other archaeologists recover
material remains so that this and future generations may
understand the origins of prehistoric and long-ago societies.
But recently, Loendorf's aim has been to expose layer
upon layer of untruths not found in the ground or on
rocks, but in literature that dates back to the days of
the early Yellowstone National Park and exploration of
the American West.
For the last decade, Loendorf has been working on his own
book, "Mountain Spirit: The Sheep Eater Indians of
Yellowstone," which presents a vivid picture of the vanished
way of life of the Sheep Eater Indians, a group whose
existence and accomplishments have been largely ignored in
histories of Native peoples.
"Mountain Spirit" endeavors to recreate the Sheep Eater way of
life before they were scattered on reservations.
The Sheep Eaters were a group of people who lived in the
higher altitudes of the Greater Yellowstone region in the
pre-park era and are tragically "maligned and misrepresented"
in Wyoming's literature and beyond, Loendorf said in a recent
interview.
Along with co-author Nancy Medaris Stone, Loendorf reveals how
the Sheep Eaters' reputation of being "feebleminded, cowardly,
defenseless dwarfs" has been perpetuated by numerous sources,
some of which are outright lies, say the authors.
In fact, they were advanced peoples who had a very functional
mountain life, posits Loendorf, a professor at New Mexico
State University whose research focuses on the Great Plains,
U.S. Southwest ethnography and rock art.
"They were healthy mountain people who were at the
topside of their culture," Loendorf added. "They were
magnificent people."
Changing the image of Indians
In 1994, Loendorf & Associates was granted a contract to do an
ethnographic overview of American Indians in Yellowstone. In
the course of their work, Loendorf, along with cultural
anthropologist Peter Nabokov, "discovered that there was
terrible, terrible misinformation about the Indians altogether
in Yellowstone."
At the same time, Michael Finley, the new park superintendent
at the time, held a three-day park-wide symposium. Yellowstone
workers, including rangers, interpreters -- and Loendorf --
were in the room.
Finley brought in Yellowstone historian and speaker Aubrey
Haines, who had written, among other things, a two-volume
series of the park. Haines "was a man of considerable
character," according to Loendorf, whose own talk focused on
how Indians in the pre-park days might have lived.
"And then Aubrey stood up -- a man whom I admired; a man who
was 'National Park Service' to the core; a man who was 'Mr.
Yellowstone.'"
Haines said, "'There were never any Indians in this park
except for a few Sheep Eaters, and they were poor for even
Indians.'"
It was a shocking statement, one that compelled Loendorf to
act: "I said to myself that day, 'I'm going to change the
image of Indians in Yellowstone National Park.'"
Unfounded rumors
Haines, though, was simply repeating what he had uncovered in
the research -- literature filled with untruths, much of which
is revealed in "Mountain Spirit."
In large part, early explorers who happened upon the Sheep
Eaters in their mountain environment had the impression that
they were powerless and even afraid of the geysers. In
reality, they used an intelligent approach and pulled back,
rather than put women and children in harm's way.
As described in "Mountain Spirit," Western explorers such as
Captain Benjamin Bonneville talked of a "hermit race, scanty
in number that inhabit the highest and most inaccessible
fastnesses. ...They have peculiarities of their own, which
distinguish them from all other Indians. They are miserably
poor; own no horses, and are destitute of every convenience to
be derived from an intercourse with the whites. .=2E.These
forlorn beings, forming a mere link between human nature and
the brute, have been looked down upon with pity and
contempt..."
In great measure, the mindset still goes on today, says
Loendorf.
Think about human beings and especially male interaction. If
somebody is considered to be a weakling, they don't measure
up, he explains. Take professional football or basketball, for
example. Players aren't "worthy warriors" if they don't
measure up.
"To some extent, the Sheep Eaters were considered non-worthy
warriors, because if people came into the mountains, they'd
retreat rather than engage in battle."
On the contrary, these Indians were fierce warriors who had
all of the weapons and everything they needed, so that if they
were cornered, they were perfectly capable of defending
themselves, according to Loendorf.
One cannot fault the U.S. government for its mission to
create something in the West as wonderful as Yellowstone
National Park. "What I fault," says Loendorf, "is that no one
has corrected the idea about what the Indians in the park
were like. They've continued, to this day, to use old
disparaging remarks."
Reader friendly
Nevertheless, "Mountain Spirit" is much more than a story
about falsehoods. Mostly, it illuminates the Sheep Eaters'
rich and abundant way of life.
It shows how these robust people constructed the most powerful
horn bows in North America, lived in well-constructed shelters
and made expertly tailored clothing.
An integral part of Sheep Eater culture was its large dogs,
"indispensable hunting and trekking companions," according
to the book.
Co-author Stone played a vital role in the manuscript,
says Loendorf.
Stone aimed to provide a "reader-friendly context" for
Loendorf's research - "one that would help readers appreciate
Sheep Eaters as living, breathing people and not simply
long-ignored figures from the past."
"Mountain Spirit" includes photographs, lithographs, and a
number of color drawings and sketches of Sheep Eater lifeways
by artist Dav=EDd Joaquin.
Joaquin used now-yellowed first printed edition of the Lewis
and Clark journals to study their clothing and lifestyles.
And, he used his imagination in depicting the Sheep Eaters.
His family raises Native dogs, and his father's dog Nasha was
used as a model for the book.
"Nasha has the instinct of her ancestors' dogs," says Joaquin.
"I take her for a walk, and she's got that herding instinct
and a broad back for carrying packs."
Loendorf will be signing books at Blue Heron in Casper
today from 3-6 p=2Em. For information, call the bookstore
at (307) 265-3774.
Robin Beaver is a freelance writer in Rock Springs, Wyo.