While land seems to be the primary focus of the Dawes Act, the real objective was to erase the Native American identity and assimilate them into American society. Most were already on reservations, but they were still farming communally, living in villages, and maintaining their traditions, languages, and tribal laws. They were still being American Indians. They needed to be more like the settlers, more white American.
They had to adopt civilized ways, obey American laws, and farm like regular folks on land they owned individually. This was the only way white Americans could imagine the survival of the Native Americans. At least that's what the Dawes Act implied.
American Indians fought hard to maintain their identity despite their dwindling population and disappearing ancestral lands. They eventually succeeded: there are 560+ federally recognized tribes today still teaching their cultural heritage to the next generation.
Sorry, Richard Pratt—you can't "take the Indian out of the man" (source).
Questions About Identity
- If you had to pick one aspect of the Act whose enforcement made the biggest difference to Native American traditions, what would it be?
- What are some of the different ways the Dawes Act enforces "American values" over Native American ones?
- Why was it important that the Native Americans become citizen of the United States?
- Which of the sections deals most directly with the issue of Native American identity? Why?
Chew on This
The American philosophy regarding the Native Americans was "If you can't kill 'em, make 'em join us."
The hidden agenda of the Dawes Act was economic; the U.S. wanted to get its hands on reservation lands and sell it to white settlers. Erasing Native American identity was a convenient side effect.