The Way to Independence: Memories of a Hidatsa Indian Family, 1840-1920 (Publications of the Minnesota Historical Society) [Paperback]

Carolyn Gilman (Author), Mary Jane Schneider (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Pr; First Paperback Edition edition (June 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087351209X
• ISBN-13: 978-0873512091
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #936,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The gold standard for ethnographic research & writing, December 19, 2008

By 

Billy Maxwell (Great Falls, MT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Way to Independence: Memories of a Hidatsa Indian Family, 1840-1920 (Publications of the Minnesota Historical Society) (Paperback)

Gilbert L. Wilson is one of the few ethnographers who did long-term interviews, object collecting, photographs, and more among a North American
Indian Tribe. While a few of his professional papers were published along with a few children's books, the mountain of gathered work has gained little attention until Carolyn Gilman and Mary Jane Schneider did this now classic publication and traveling exhibit. Both women do justice to the descriptive passion held by Gilbert, his brother Fredrick, Buffalo Bird Woman, Wolf Chief, Goodbird, and other Hidatsas who contributed to the effort.
Bottomline: If human life and habits interest the reader, this volume is a must have! Billy Maxwell, Cultural Anthropologist, Material Culture of the Prairie, Plains, & Plateau

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Little house on the prarie, September 19, 2005

By 

Newton Ooi (Phoenix, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Way to Independence: Memories of a Hidatsa Indian Family, 1840-1920 (Publications of the Minnesota Historical Society) (Hardcover)

American popular culture has been good at showing the lives of white settlers on the American frontier, but almost nonexistent when it comes to showing the lives of Native Americans. A greaat example is the TV show "Little House on the Prarie". This book is the equivalent for Native Americans, specifically for a Hidatsa native american family living in the Midwest during the mid 1800s to early 1900s. This book chronicles the lives of the various members of this family as they adjust to the growing presence and dominance of white settlers and the US nation. The book gives insights into the daily lives, including the minutae of cooking, cleaning, housing, farming, child-bearing, schooling, birth and death, and of course, dealing with various agencies and representatives of the US government. The stories are told from the family's point of view, and often cite primary sources such as personal interviews and diary entries. Overall, this is a good book, and gives great insights into the lives of Native Americans.