Other International and Area Studies Commons^™

Review Of Voices Of A New Chicana/O History By Refugio Rochín And Dennis Valdes, James A. Garza

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

The demographic changes affecting America's ethnic populations are a reminder that history is in constant flux. In particular, the Latina/o population is seeing its social and political influence grow, especially in the Midwest. How will mainstream America deal with this new reality? As politicians struggle over this issue, Chicana/o scholars are also finding that past definitions no longer fit today's academic environment. Voices of a New Chicanalo History, an informative and stimulating compilation of fourteen essays, represents this new historical debate. Edited by Refugio I. Rochfn and Dennis N. Valdes, the volume brings together a diverse group of Chicana/o …

Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Abundance And Distribution In The Great Plains Based On Historic And Contemporary Information, Craig Knowles, Jonathan Proctor, Steven Forest

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Recorded presettlement observations of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are not adequate to fully determine their abundance and distribution. Early naturalists and explorers made only casual reports of prairie dogs on an opportunistic basis; their written records do not represent systematic surveys. Cumulative accounts of prairie dog control efforts, together with the known current prairie dog distribution in North Dakota and Montana, clearly show that most journalists failed to record prairie dog colonies. Also, they restricted their travels to a few common routes, and as a result only a very small and select portion of the landscape was …

Distribution And Abundance Of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs In The Great Plains: A Historical Perspective, Dallas Virchow, Scott E. Hygnstrom

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

It is a common belief that the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) was an extremely abundant species throughout the Great Plains prior to European settlement. We examined accounts from explorers, naturalists, and travelers in the Great Plains in the 19th and 20th centuries and found few that adequately document the relative abundance and distribution to support this view. Immense prairie dog colonies existed in the western Great Plains before Euro-American settlement, but it appears that the eastern Great Plains supported only localized populations. Historic accounts also indicate that the easternmost extent of the black-tailed prairie dog's range before …

Early Human-Bison Population Interdependence In The Plains Ecosystem, Henry Epp, Ian Dyck

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Human population size in the Great Plains ecosystem before European contact has been of longstanding interest to scholars. The same is true of bison numbers. Given the near total dependence on bison by nonagricultural precontact humans, integrating information on both human and bison numbers from that time is of further interest, providing the focus for this paper. Recent research on the behavioral ecology of bison and related ungulates has led to the identification of two distinct, although not mutually exclusive, populations: resident and migrant herds. Moreover, migrants tend to vastly outnumber residents, often by more than 4 to 1. The …

Flooding In Kansas Respondents’ Satisfaction With Emergency Response Measures And Disaster Aid, Bimal Kanti Paul

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Several counties of south-central and southeast Kansas experienced floods in the first week of November 1998. The communities of Arkansas City and Augusta were among those most severely affected by these floods. This study is based primarily on a mail questionnaire survey of residents of these two communities, and it examines respondents' satisfaction with four emergency response measures employed by local officials and emergency management agencies before and during the flood event. The extent of external support victims received and the level of their satisfaction with that support were also investigated. The analysis of the survey data shows that the …

Great Plains Research Volume 12, Number 2, Fall 2002 - News And Notes

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Contents:
Call for papers

Review Of The Cast Iron Forest: A Natural And Cultural History Of The North American Cross Timbers By Richard V. Francaviglia, Brock Brown

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Drawing on the term "cast iron forest" used by Washington Irving in the 1830s to describe a central Oklahoma component of the larger Cross Timbers region, Richard Francaviglia fashions a thoughtful, thorough, and updated account of this bio-region. Nurtured by American expansion westward, the Cross Timbers was a formidable barrier to transportation and of immediate interest to anyone traveling east-west through the region. From early Euro-American encounters to recent times many of the explorers, surveyors, adventurers, and scientists who encountered and observed the Cross Timbers recorded their experiences. Francaviglia does a superb job bundling the diverse types of accounts into …

Great Plains Research Volume 12, Number 2, Fall 2002 - Annual Index

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

annual index

Review Of Urban Indian Reserves: Forging New Relationships In Saskatchewan Edited By F. Laurie Barron And Joseph Garcea, J. R. Miller

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Although the four Saskatchewan urban reserves examined in this collection are not the only ones in Canada, or even in Saskatchewan for that matter, they are among the most interesting and instructive. Established between 1982 and 1996, the reserves in Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Fort Qu' Appelle, and Yorkton went through differing processes with strikingly similar results. Establishment of the Saskatoon and Yorkton reserves proceeded smoothly, but similar initiatives in Prince Albert and Fort Qu' Appelle had to overcome local opposition. Indeed, the Prince Albert urban reserve was established by the federal government over the municipality's objections. In spite of the …

Review Of Changing Prairie Landscapes Edited By Todd A. Radenbaugh And Patrick Douaud, Fred Samson

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

In the past decade there has been a slow but steady change in the field of prairie conservation. More and more research is investigating the role of natural ecological processes and factors leading to the declines in many native prairie species. Although this change should be seen as progress, achieving the needed balance between science and practical roots in conservation remains illusive.

Western Harvester Ants’ Foraging Success And Nest Densities In Relation To Grazing Intensity, Shaharra Usnick, Richard Hart

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Western harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, are seed eaters that occur in short- and mid-grass prairies. Harvester ants are efficient seed predators but they may also be seed dispersers. We examined what ants collect to address that question. We also studied how different cattle grazing intensities affected harvester ant nest densities. Items collected by western harvester ant foragers returning to their nests were categorized as non-seeds, seeds, and nothing. Harvester ants collected large amounts of non-seeds (48%), followed by seeds (33%) and nothing (19%). Western harvester ants tolerate some environmental stress caused by grazing because nest densities were highest in …

Review Of Bounty And Benevolence: A History Of Saskatchewan Treaties By Arthur J. Ray, Jim Miller, And Frank Tough, Jennifer S. H. Brown

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

This is a solid and useful contribution to the growing literature on the so-called "numbered treaties" with Native Peoples in the Canadian West. Its focus is on the five treaties negotiated with the First Nations whose homelands included parts of the present province of Saskatchewan: Treaties 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10, signed during the period from 1874 into the early twentieth century. Initially advertised with the subtitle A Documentary History of Saskatchewan Treaties, the volume indeed emphasizes evidence from and interpretations of written documents, some quoted at length. The authors note that the original intent was "to embody …

Review Of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side Of The All-American Meal By Eric Schlosser, Toby Ten Eyck

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

American fast food has come to symbolize runaway capitalism, pointless pop culture, and callous globalization. It is bad for the environment, bad for workers, and bad for consumers. This industry supports meatpacking firms-some of the largest are now located in the Great Plains-that are heavy polluters and rely on a labor force consisting largely of immigrant workers who receive few, if any, health or medical benefits, even though their work is some of the most dangerous in the US. Fast food restaurants are the signifiers of urban sprawl which threatens precious farm and ranch lands in the Great Plains and …

Review Of A Business History Of Alberta By Henry C. Klassen, Max Foran

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Given the dearth of business histories in Alberta, and in Western Canada for that matter, A Business History of Alberta is a welcome contribution to Canadian regional historiography. Henry Klassen's study, the result of many years of intensive research at a variety of levels, emerges as a well written account of the development of business in Alberta from the territorial period to the present day. Using specific examples, supported in many cases by personal interviews, Klassen has brought to life the histories of dozens of business enterprises in all parts of Alberta over a hundred year period. His reliance on …

Watering The Plains: Political Dynamics Of River Preservation In Canada And The United States, Joan M. Blauwkamp, Peter J. Longo

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

In this article we compare the Canadian Heritage Rivers System with the US Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and analyze case law in order to identify the best means of ensuring preservation of Great Plains rivers. We find that fear of federal dictates provides a powerful political weapon for opponents of river preservation policies. Therefore, we conclude that national officials should work with state, provincial, and local officials to develop cooperative plans that enable local residents to participate in river management decisions. Cooperative river management policies avoid the perception of federal government action as threatening to state sovereignty, thereby removing …

Was Old Jules Right?: Soil Stewardship On Leased Land, Bruce B. Johnson, John D. Cole

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

In a country where more than 40% of the agricultural land is farmed by tenant operators, the question of how that land base is farmed becomes paramount In this study we examined soil erosion levels in relation to land tenure and surveyed tenant farmer practices and attitudes in Nebraska and South Dakota, We found leased land was farmed and maintained by tenants in an environmentally sustainable manner, Furthermore, we found no evidence to suggest variation from this norm due to type of lease, size of farm, type of farm organization, or landowner classification, While educational level and years of experience …

Reasons For The Marginal Incorporation Of The Comanches By The Spanish, Martha Mccollough

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

When the Comanches, a Native American community originally from the Great Basin region, migrated to the Southern Plains in the early 1700s, they encountered Spanish colonies, missions, and military and administrative personnel as well as newly introduced trade items. Spain attempted to incorporate the Comanches into the region's emerging political economy through a variety of means including the use of treaties, coercive force, and economic inducements. Because of the Comanches' decentralized political organization, their conquest of the Apaches, and Spain's tenuous control over its northern frontier, the Comanches successfully retained control over their own articulation within the region's political economy. …

Review Of The Last Best West: Essays On The Historical Geography Of The Canadian Prairies By Yossi Katz And John C. Lehr, Carl J. Traci

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

John Lehr is well known for his longstanding interest in and intimate knowledge of Ukrainian and Mormon settlement in the Canadian West. More recently, he has teamed with Yossi Katz to examine Jewish settlement and to analyze the influence of institutional factors on settlement success. The purpose of this collection of previously-published papers is to contribute to a "full understanding" of frontier agricultural settlement through the use of a comparative approach that analyzes the role of culture and institutions (social, religious, and government) in the settlement experiences of several ethnic groups in western Canada. Chosen for detailed treatment are the …

Review Of Wildflowers Of Alberta: A Guide To Common Wildflowers And Other Herbaceous Plants By Kathleen Wilkinson, Melanie Elliot

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

This field guide, in a size and format useful for educators, naturalists, and life-long learners, is illustrated with excellent photographs, some artistically back lit, and line drawings. Appendices offer keys to the major families, comparisons of new and old taxonomy, selected references, an alphabetized species index by flower color, and a species index. There is also a good glossary, which includes page references back to species and diagrams. Corners help maintain the guide's shape even when repeatedly pulled out of a pack in the field.

Review Of Ice Age Peoples Of North America: Environments, Origins, And Adaptations Of The First Americans Edited By Robson Bonnichsen And Karen L. Turnmire, Leland C. Bement

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

This collection of nineteen articles presents up-to-date regional or topical syntheses of the best data relating to the last Ice Age inhabitants in Northeast Asia, Beringia, and North America. Many of the papers were given in 1989 at the First World Summit, sponsored by the Center for the Study of the First Americans at the University of Maine. Authors were given the opportunity to update their syntheses to include new finds in their regions during the decade between the Summit and the book's publication, though some contributors waived the opportunity.

Estimation Of Presettlement Populations Of The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog: A Reply, Dallas Virchow, Scott E. Hygnstrom

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Determination of the historical distribution and abundance of the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicanus) is important as a component of the science underlying decisions on the future management of this species. Clearly, we differ from Knowles and colleagues (2002) in our interpretation of those data (see below). In addition, Knowles et al. (2002) introduce other lines of evidence rather than focusing on the historical record as we did. The new lines of evidence they present include physical evidence, contemporary knowledge of prairie dog ecology, and distribution of the black-footed ferret, Mustela nigripes. Unfortunately, these new lines of …

Review Of Indian Orphanages By Marilyn Irvin Holt, Michael C. Coleman

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

During research on American Indian schooling, I sometimes noticed references to orphan children, yet never pursued the matter. Fortunately, Marilyn Irvin Holt did, and her carefully-researched and moving book is the first comprehensive study of Indian orphanages. Although critical of their failings, Holt comes to a surprisingly positive conclusion. Located on reservations, they "offered a way for youngsters to maintain contact with their tribal groups" and "provided a point of identity for both residents and the larger Indian community." When mounting criticism of institutionalization forced the closure of many orphanages in the twentieth century, tribal people became more vulnerable to …

Review Of Medicine That Walks: Disease, Medicine, And Canadian Plains Native People, 1880-1940 By Maureen K. Lux, R. Wesley Heber

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Medicine That Walks recounts the impact of the federal government's Indian policy on the health and well-being of Canadian Plains Indians. The end of the bison as a staple of life, the treaties with the Crown, and the subsequent removal of Indians from the land, followed by settlement replacement-these form the backdrop for a thesis on historical cause and effect. The thesis is that race-based federal policies resulted in social, physical, and spiritual degradation for Indian people. Lux's account unfolds as a clash of cultures in which Indian traditions and practices struggle to survive the relentless onslaught of western domination …

Review Of General William S. Harney: Prince Of Dragoons By George Rollie Adams, Randy Kane

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

The foremost army office! (next to Winfield Scott) from the end of the War of 1812 to the beginning of the Civil War, William S. Harney experienced the entire spectrum of military activity during the period. More than anything else, he was an army officer of the Indian frontier, and it was on the frontier opposing Indians that he made a name for himself.

Harney was tall, powerful, and athletic as well as volatile, profane, and violent. This combination tended to bring him to the fore wherever he was stationed. He was at his best during active command in the …

Title And Contents- Fall 2002

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Great Plains Quarterly

Volume 22/ Number 4 / Fall 2002

Contents

MIGRATION OF THE GREAT PLAINS: AN INTRODUCTION Charles A. Braithwaite

A LONGITUDINAL APPROACH TO GREAT PLAINS MIGRATION John C. Hudson

DRAWN BY THE BISON: LATE PREHISTORIC NATIVE MIGRATION INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS Lauren W. Ritterbush

PIECING TOGETHER THE PONCA PAST: RECONSTRUCTING DEGIHA MIGRATONS TO THE GREAT PLAINS Beth R. Ritter

Book Reviews

Notes And News

Patrick Douaud and Bruce Dawson, eds. Plain Speaking: Essays on Aboriginal Peoples and the Prairie By L. BROOKS HILL

George Rollie Adams General William S. Harney: Prince of Dragoons By RANDY KANE

Marilyn Irvin …

Review Of Working The Garden: American Writers And The Industrialization Of Agriculture By William Conlogue, Mary Paniccia-Carden

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

In Working the Garden William Conlogue critiques readings of American literature dependent on pastoral assumptions, proposing instead a georgic perspective that would examine "the history of the intersections we have made among human work, human imagination, and the physical environment." While he takes a somewhat reductive view of previous critical approaches and of American applications of pastoral modes, his demonstration of the ways in which georgic questions alter our understanding of our literature promises to be of significant importance to the study of Great Plains literature.

The georgic, Conlogue explains, "explores the lived landscapes of rural experience" where "our ambiguous …

Piecing Together The Ponca Past Reconstructing Degiha Migrations To The Great Plains, Beth R. Ritter

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

The twenty-first century presents opportunities, as well as limitations, for the American Indian Nations of the Great Plains. Opportunities include enhanced economic development activities (e.g., casino gambling, telecommunications, and high-tech industries) and innovative tribal programming such as language immersion programs made possible through enhanced self-governance initiatives. Limitations include familiar scripts that perpetually threaten tribal sovereignty and chronically underfunded annual appropriations for Native American health, housing, and social service programs.

The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, terminated in 1965 and restored to federally recognized status in 1990,¹ embraces these challenges by exploring the limits of self-governance, economic development opportunities, and cultural …

Drawn By The Bison Late Prehistoric Native Migration Into The Central Plains, Lauren W. Ritterbush

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Popular images of the Great Plains frequently portray horse-mounted Indians engaged in dramatic bison hunts. The importance of these hunts is emphasized by the oft-mentioned dependence of the Plains Indians on bison. This animal served as a source of not only food but also materials for shelter, clothing, containers, and many other necessities of life. Pursuit of the vast bison herds (combined with the needs of the Indians' horses for pasturage) affected human patterns of subsistence, mobility, and settlement. The Lakota and Cheyenne, for instance, are described as relying heavily on bison meat for food and living a nomadic lifestyle …

Review Of Mavericks: An Incorrigible History Of Alberta By Aritha Van Herk, Donald B. Smith

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

Aritha van Herk's well-written and fast paced Mavericks provides an excellent introduction to Alberta. Served up without footnotes, Mavericks is not history, at least in the academic sense. What Aritha van Herk, a professor of English at the University of Calgary, provides instead is a fascinating personal view of Alberta's past. It contains valuable insights into how many Albertans view themselves and describes particularly well many Albertans' views about their relationship with the rest of Canada.

The first chapter, "Aggravating, Awful, Awkward, Awesome Alberta," is all about the Albertan attitude. What propels the book, what glues it together, is an …

Review Of I Hear The Train: Reflections, Inventions, Refractions By Louis Owens, Lee Schweninger

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

In I Hear the Train, novelist and scholar Louis Owens combines memoir, fiction, and criticism; stories, he calls them, written in an effort "to make sense of the otherwise uninhabitable world we must, of necessity, inhabit." He makes that sense, in large measure, by writing about himself and the importance of family. The "Reflections" are memoirs in which the author recalls his own struggles with inhabiting the world, recounting adolescence and young-adult experiences and describing having found and spent three days with his brother, a Vietnam vet, whom he had neither seen nor heard from in twenty-five years. After …