“This collection reveals a largely overlooked piece of women’s history, the history of the Women’s National Indian Association (WNIA). . . . In these concise essays, contributors discuss the origins of the WNIA, the influence of domesticity, the establishment of missions and auxiliaries in different regions of the country, and the importance of situating current research in the women’s history and women’s studies fields.”—Choice
“Essential for historians studying the WNIA.”—Journal of American History
“For historians of the US West, Native, and women’s history, this book is a valuable addition to the scholarship on maternalist and assimilationist politics in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.”—New Mexico Historical Review
“In this absorbing collection of essays on the history of the Women’s National Indian Association (WNIA), several notable scholars accomplish the important work of shedding light on the activities of an Indian reform organization long overdue its proper recognition.”—
“As this volume shows, historians can no longer ignore the WNIA.”—Great Plains Quarterly
“The Women’s National Indian Association, one of the most significant Indian reform organizations of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, sought to advance assimilation by altering the traditional roles and habits of Indian women. This superb anthology traces the wide-ranging efforts of white, middle-class, Christian women to address the ‘Indian problem’ at a time when ‘women’s work’ was still largely confined to the home. The Women’s National Indian Association is required reading for anyone interested in developing a fuller understanding of the complex forces at work during the era of assimilation.”—Thomas A. Britten, author of The National Council on Indian Opportunity: Quiet Champion of Self-Determination
“A compelling read, The Women’s National Indian Association brings together leading scholars in the field to discuss the history of the association and its expansive reform efforts throughout the United States.”—Patricia Loughlin, author of Hidden Treasures of the American West: Muriel H. Wright, Angie Debo, and Alice Marriott
