Northern Cheyenne ag, Nebraska suffrage, beekeeping in GP Quarterly

Released on 05/24/2012, at 2:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Lincoln, Neb., May 24th, 2012 —
Great Plains Quarterly spring issue
Great Plains Quarterly spring issue

            In the spring issue of Great Plains Quarterly, an academic journal published by the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, researchers wrote about the construction of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in the late 19th century, farm women and Nebraska suffrage in the early 20th century, and beekeeping in south-central Montana.

            In "Beyond the Violence: Indian Agriculture, White Removal, and the Unlikely Construction of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, 1876-1900," James R. Allison III discusses events that led to the location of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Contrary to the stereotype of all American Indians being forced to adopt western methods, Allison, a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of Virginia, presents a different view: "Understanding that subsistence and sovereignty were intimately entwined, the Northern Cheyenne selectively incorporated certain agricultural practices to retain control over their own existence."

            Carmen Heider, a native of rural Nebraska and associate professor of communication and women's studies at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, studied suffrage in Nebraska in "Farm Women, Solidarity, and 'The Suffrage Messenger': Nebraska Suffrage Activism on the Plains, 1915-1917." "In 1914, Nebraska men once again voted against the amendment that would have granted full suffrage to Nebraska women. Following this defeat, activists promptly began to print the Suffrage Messenger, one of two newspapers published by Nebraska reformers during the 64-year struggle for the right to vote," said Heider. Her piece explains how getting the support of rural women was an essential part of the eventual success of suffrage in Nebraska.

            In "Not Your Family Farm: Apiculture in South-Central Montana," Miles Lewis, who holds a doctoral degree in history from North Dakota State University, discusses the history and establishment of beekeeping dating from American Indian tribes who adapted the insect and its products to the importance of the honeybee today outside traditional agriculture. "Local bee farms have long-term regional, social, and economic effects. They provide significant employment and enhance communities through being a very active economic contributor," Lewis wrote.

            Current issues of the journal may be purchased in the Great Plains Art Museum gift shop at 1155 Q St., or by calling the center at 402-472-3082. Order forms are available online at www.unl.edu/plains.

Writer: Linda Ratcliffe, Center for Great Plains Studies, 402-472-3965

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