Algonquin Couple, an 18th-century watercolor by an unknown artist.
Courtesy of the City of Montreal Records Management & Archives, Montreal, Canada; Wikipedia.
Thanks to Dr. Singer, I have direction and focus now for my research study. I will be examining the evidence for how Native Americans affected and were affected by the establishment of Baltimore and how their history may have intertwined with that of Baltimoreans throughout area history from First Contact through the present day.
I begin this quest with some preconceptions that may or may not prove true; namely:
I begin this quest with some preconceptions that may or may not prove true; namely:
- (1) there will be a paucity of material, but that will mean each piece of historical reference I can unearth will be all the more meaningful and challenging to interpret.
- (2) Native Americans either were not present in any substantial numbers at First Contact in what became Baltimore or quickly disappeared because of contracting European diseases to which they had no immunity. This is the common, perhaps even glib, explanation for why Native Americans seemed to have had little or no role in the historical development of Baltimore, but such an easy answer calls for all the more careful scrutiny of the evidence.
- (3) the predominant tribal population at least in the earliest historical references is Algonquin.
- (4) modern day Baltimore's Native American population is primarily Lumbee, who are established generally in the Patterson Park area, and who are very late to the "Baltimore history table."
Overall, I am quite excited about exploring a largely unknown piece of Baltimore history and with Dr. Singer's encouragement am prepared to extend the focus of Native American presence beyond Baltimore itself to encompass Eastern Maryland, as well as research and discuss the reasons why there is not more Native American presence in our area.
So...it's off to Maryland Historical Society this week-end, probably both Saturday and Sunday, to begin following up on the 100+ 'hits' I have in their library database for Native Americans/American Indians. I also want to begin gathering available US Census data.
Finally for this post, as an aside from one who considers herself fortunate in having many close friends and acquaintances in the Hopi, Navajo, San Carlos Apache, Ft. McDowell Yavapai, Gila River Pima, and Laguna Pueblo tribes of Arizona and New Mexico, I strongly support using the terms desired by the people themselves for reference to their heritage; thus, some of my friends prefer "Native American," while others prefer "American Indian" and even "Indian." I'll adopt a uniform standard when the appropriate time comes for my research paper and explain my usage.
Finally for this post, as an aside from one who considers herself fortunate in having many close friends and acquaintances in the Hopi, Navajo, San Carlos Apache, Ft. McDowell Yavapai, Gila River Pima, and Laguna Pueblo tribes of Arizona and New Mexico, I strongly support using the terms desired by the people themselves for reference to their heritage; thus, some of my friends prefer "Native American," while others prefer "American Indian" and even "Indian." I'll adopt a uniform standard when the appropriate time comes for my research paper and explain my usage.
