Parading Through History: The Making of the Crow Nation in America 1805-1935

vii+395 pages with maps, figures, photographs, plates, charts, diagrams, tables and index. Royal octavo (9 1/4" 6 1/4") bound in original publisher's quarter black paper with silver lettering to spine over blue boards in original pictorial jacket. First edition. In the face of increasing pressure to cede parts of their reservation to the whites, the Crows adopted a tactic of appeasement; while appearing friendly toward the government they resisted their demands. They remained suspicious of the whites and clung to the life to which they had been born. The tribal members who settled along the Little Bighorn carried many features of their old life with them. As the 1880s wore on missionaries attacked old beliefs and the government began to assert its authority by favoring some band leaders while undercutting others. Slowly raiding, which had offered an opportunity to demonstrate one's skill as a warrior and gain consequence among the tribe, was replaced by diplomatic visits between the old enemies. Councils between the government and tribal leaders gained credence in the 1880s. Throughout these proceedings tribal leaders moved cautiously on such issues as the railroad right-of-ways and cattle leases, both of which pitted the Crows against outside interests. Leasing land to powerful whites was seen as a way to gain personal prestige by district leaders and a means of providing jobs for their followers. Struggles to establish leadership under the new conditions, together with the continued opposition to many actions of the government, produced inevitable confrontations. Condition: Near fine in like jacket.