A Stranger in Her Native Land: Alice Fletcher and the American Indians

by Joan T. Mark and Joan Mark

Book Overview

Called "Her Majesty" because of her resemblance to Queen Victoria and known as "the measuring woman" among the Indians whose land allotments she administered, Alice Fletcher (1838-1923) commanded respect from both friend and foe. She was the foremost woman anthropologist in the United States in the nineteenth century and instrumental in the adoption of the policy of severalty that dominated Indian affairs in the 1880s. This is the full and intimate story of a woman who, as she grew in understanding of Indian ways, came to recognize that she was the one who was alien, a stranger in her native land.

Joan Mark recreates the long and active life of Alice Fletcher from diaries, correspondence, and other records, placing her achievements for the first time in a feminist perspective. Sustained by a sense of mission, Alice Fletcher challenged her society's definition of what women could be and do.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803281560
• ISBN13: 9780803281561
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Bison Books
• Length: 428 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

I am grateful for this book

I am always grateful to find "yet one more" dynamic 19th century woman raised up. And this book, with its fascinating perspective of Indian life and policy toward the Indians - so valuable - is an important addition to "the canon". I wish I'd found this book earlier. It is well written and makes for thoughtful reading. Mary Sheeran, author of "Who Have the Power: a legend of the west"

Women's history for all

Alice Fletcher was a woman of many interests and talents. As one of the first woman anthropologists in the U.S., she spent many years working with, studying and advocating for Native American tribes. This book is an interesting study of her life and the times in which she lived. A really interesting read.