Montana 1911: A Professor and his Wife among the Blackfeet

Montana 1911: A Professor and his Wife among the Blackfeet is the complete text diary kept by Mrs. W.M. Uhlenbeck-Melchior while accompanying her husband, the Dutch anthropologist/linguist, Dr. C.C. Uhlenbeck during his fieldwork on the Blackfeet reservation in Montana in the summer of 1911. Her eyewitness account of their three-month stay gives the reader fascinating insights into the world of the Blackfeet as much as the Uhlenbecks. The first edition ever to be translated into English, this book is complete with notes, introductions, and supplementary materials. The book includes essays on Blackfeet mythology and folklore that detail life before the reservation period and a biographical sketch of the Uhlenbecks, featuring aspects of C.C. Uhlenbeck’s career as a linguist and scholar, as well as numerous photographs from the era.

Mary Eggermont-Molenaar was born in the Netherlands. She received a BA in social work and MA in law and taught health law. She immigrated to Canada in 1986.

Praise for Montana 1911: 

A brilliant compilation

—Jay Hansford C. Vest,  The American Indian Quarterly

A valuable addition to a library and of interest to many disciplines and areas of studies.

—Michael W. Simpson, Tribal College  

Table of Contents

 

Preface and Acknowledgements
Mary Eggermont-Molenaar

Introduction to the Blackfeet in Montana
Alice B. Kehoe

The Uhlenbecks and the Burdens of Life: A Biographical Introduction
Klaas van Berkel and Mary Eggermont-Molenaar

Mrs. Uhlenbeck: An Informed Diarist?
Mary Eggermont-Molenaar

Part I

Mrs. Uhlenbeck’s Diary: Blackfoot Reservation, Thursday, June 8—September 17, 1911
Translated by Mary Eggermont-Molenaar

Part II

A Dutch Linguist on the Prairies: C.C. Uhlenbeck’s Work on Blackfoot
Inge Geene

Legendary Histories
Alice B. Kehoe

Collage of Blackfoot Texts Recorded by C.C. Uhlenbeck
Arraigned by Mary Eggermont-Molenaar

References

Appendix A: Patronymics and Proper Names of the Peigans by C.C. Uhlenbeck
Translated by Marry Eggermont-Molenaar

Appendix B: Social Organization of the Southern Peigans
J.P.B. de Josselin de Jong

Appendix C: The Dances of the Peigan by J.P.B. Josselin de Jong
Translated by Marry Eggermont-Molenaar