Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Land Allotment on the Pawnee Reservation

Abstract

This research explores the patterns and consequences of land allotment for the Pawnee Nation of north-central Oklahoma. During the late nineteenth century, the federal government implemented a policy of breaking up tribal land holdings into individual parcels (allotment in severalty), leading to mass dispossession, complicated patterns of heirship, disruption of traditional patterns, and a decrease in land productivity. Although the historical and economic aspects of allotment have been extensively studied, relatively little attention has been paid to the geospatial aspects of allotment, especially the cultural and environmental factors that may have influenced allottees in their land selections. Using records of the Pawnee Indian Agency obtained from the Fort Worth Branch of the National Archives, together with censuses, Indian agent reports, the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), and environmental databases, a historical GIS of Pawnee land allotments was created. With regard to environmental considerations, it was found that stream-bottom land was selected in the vast majority of cases, while upland prairies were widely ignored. Stream bottoms, in addition to running water, offered rich soils for garden plots and agriculture, abundant timber for construction and fuel, and access to game and other food resources. Analysis of familial patterns showed that in a majority of cases examined, family members selected parcels either adjacent or in close proximity to each other. It was further found that clan associations played a major role in allotment patterns, with the four Pawnee clans generally clustered in distinct groupings on different parts of the reservation.