Friends of the Indian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Friends of the Indian was a group that pushed for Indian assimilation during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After dealing with "the Indian problem" through treaties, removal, and reservations, the Federal Government of The United States moved toward a method that is now referred to as assimilation.[1] The Friends of the Indian group, which was largely connected to and intertwined with the Office of Indian Affairs within the Federal Government[1] presented themselves as speaking on behalf of Native Americans who they viewed as unable to speak for themselves.[2] They claimed that the best course of action for Native Americans was to assimilate them into the larger American culture, rather than allowing them to maintain their existing native cultures. The Friends used many tactics to push for said assimilation. Some went and lived with tribes, or contributed to the new discipline of anthropology to establish themselves as experts and push for cultural change.[3] Some wrote books and essays about the poor treatment of Indians they had seen in the past and how this treatment might be improved.[1] Others lobbied for legislative change through the Federal Government. The Friends of the Indian played a large role in the assimilation of American Indians by pushing for the passing of the Dawes Act,[1] the Indian Citizenship Act,[4] the creation and use of Indian boarding schools, and the continuation of an expectation that Indians could not speak for themselves.