INFO: This is a series of maps charting the shrinkage of Native American Lands > Somersaultr

Shrinkage of Native American Lands

Geronimo (far right) and his warriors, circa 1886
This is a series of maps charting the shrinkage of Native American lands over time, from 1784 to the present day.  Made because I was having trouble visualizing the sheer scale of the land loss, and reading numbers like “blah blah million acres” wasn’t really doing it for me.  The gif is based on a collection of maps by Sam B. Hilliard of Louisiana State University.  You can see the original map here. For those who do prefer dealing in numbers, here are some: By 1881, Indian landholdings in the United States had plummeted to 156 million acres. By 1934, only about 50 million acres remained (an area the size of Idaho and Washington) as a result of the General Allotment Act* of 1887. During World War II, the government took 500,000 more acres for military use. Over one hundred tribes, bands, and Rancherias relinquished their lands under various acts of Congress during the termination era of the 1950s. By 1955, the indigenous land base had shrunk to just 2.3 percent of its original size. —In the Courts of the Conqueror by Walter Echo-Hawk * The General Allotment Act is also known as the Dawes Act. Edit: Got rid of some of the fold lines and discoloration on the gif.  *is anal*

This is a series of maps charting the shrinkage of Native American lands over time, from 1784 to the present day.  Made because I was having trouble visualizing the sheer scale of the land loss, and reading numbers like “blah blah million acres” wasn’t really doing it for me.  The gif is based on a collection of maps by Sam B. Hilliard of Louisiana State University.  You can see the original map here.

For those who do prefer dealing in numbers, here are some:

By 1881, Indian landholdings in the United States had plummeted to 156 million acres. By 1934, only about 50 million acres remained (an area the size of Idaho and Washington) as a result of the General Allotment Act* of 1887. During World War II, the government took 500,000 more acres for military use. Over one hundred tribes, bands, and Rancherias relinquished their lands under various acts of Congress during the termination era of the 1950s.

By 1955, the indigenous land base had shrunk to just 2.3 percent of its original size.

—In the Courts of the Conqueror by Walter Echo-Hawk

* The General Allotment Act is also known as the Dawes Act.

Edit: Got rid of some of the fold lines and discoloration on the gif.  *is anal*

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Rites of Passage

Brian Huberman and Jerry Eagan were guests on the Voices of the West radio show last year. Eagan, Apache-country expert and historian, has been a guest on the show several times and has, in recent years, helped BH access the landscape he is so fascinated to explore in one of his latest film projects: Geronimo Country.

Brian in "Geronimo Country," led by his guide Jerry Eagan (shown in the distance)

Listen to the podcast to hear them paint a vivid picture of the physical landscape of this American wilderness, past and present, and explain some of the historical and political events that make this such a fascinating and dangerous place in America today.

Brian also discusses a bit about his personal background, his interest in the Western film genre and why this quest has him so determined to visit Skeleton Canyon, the site where Geronimo surrendered for a final time.

Other highlights: tactics Apaches used to throw Calvary members off their trail, Brian’s favorite Western film score composers and how Jerry, a Vietnam Vet living in Oregon, came to be an expert guide in the wilderness of New Mexico.