Hospitality the Native American Way

There was a basic ignorance of American Indian customs...standard hospitality demanded a token gift from strangers traveling through their territory such as flour, sugar, coffee, meat, tobacco - but it apparently took the settlers a long time to begin to question WHY a race so once self sufficient would need to ask for food or to even attempt to understand Indian hospitality.


Frontier women were credited with respect, courtesy, friendliness and a willingness to share food as a guarantee of safe passage for their families.

Beaded bags, and hand-crafted shawls were popular items of exchange with the women who admired the fine handi-work and the high standards of behavior expected from Indian children. 

As women's view of themselves grew, they attitudes were more humane in exchange with the Indian, and they began to see them as people just like themselves.  As one woman wrote when Indians had served as scouts and guides with their wagon train "want to prove that there was honor among their tribes after all."

Next time...Different Tribes for Different Strokes...