Mann's scholarly study of the Lemhi Shoshones' petition to gain tribal recognition from the federal government focuses on the tribe's unbroken ties to their homeland, the Salmon River country of northeastern Idaho. By the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805, when Sacajawea provided her legendary assistance, various groups had merged as a "single political entity" known as the Lemhi Shoshone. In 1880 the federal government began pressuring the tribe to give up its reservation land, finally culminating in the tribe's "removal" to Fort Hall in 1907. Despite the liquidation of their reservation, the Lemhis visited there regularly to fish, hunt, and tend ancestors' graves. The author recounts court cases throughout the twentieth century in which the Lemhis have been arbitrarily grouped with other Shoshone bands, and consequently not given control of their share of reparations for the seizure of their land. Now with the bicentennial of the Corps of Discovery, the federal government has an opportunity to restore official recognition to Sacajawea's people once and for all.
Deborah DonovanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"[A] fascinating study. . . . The author''s thoroughly researched account is bolstered by the inclusion of American Indian perspectives, particularly contributions from Lemhi Shoshone activists."—Choice
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CHOICE )
“This remarkable book is, in effect, the biography of a people. . . . An amazing story about a group of people who managed to live in harmony with just about everything except human beings. . . . and especially Western governments.”—Statesman Journal
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Statesman Journal )
"A compelling account of the Lemhis'' struggle for autonomy. . . . This book may provide them with some important legal ammunition."—Mark van de Logt, Canadian Journal of History
(Mark van de Logt
Canadian Journal of History )