eBook

Matrons and Maids

Victoria K. Haskins

2012

Overview

From 1914 to 1934 the US government sent Native American girls to work as domestic servants in the homes of white families.Matrons and Maidstells this forgotten history through the eyes of the women who facilitated their placements. During those two decades, \"outing matrons\" oversaw and managed the employment of young Indian women. In Tucson, Arizona, the matrons acted as intermediaries between the Indian and white communities and between the local Tucson community and the national administration, the Office of Indian Affairs.Based on federal archival records,Matrons and Maidsoffers an original and detailed account of government practices and efforts to regulate American Indian women. Haskins demonstrates that the outing system was clearly about regulating cross-cultural interactions, and she highlights the roles played by white women in this history. As she compellingly argues, we cannot fully engage with cross-cultural histories without examining the complex involvement of white women as active, if ambivalent, agents of colonization.Including stories of the entwined experiences of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women that range from the heart-warming to the heart-breaking,Matrons and Maidspresents a unique perspective on the history of Indian policy and the significance of \"women's work.\"

• Publisher: University of Arizona Press
• Subject: 20th century / Arizona / Domestic workers / Economic conditions / Employment / HISTORY / Household employees / Household employees -- Arizona -- Tucson -- History -- 20th century / Housework / Indians of North America / Indians of North America -- Employment -- Arizona -- Tucson -- History -- 20th century / Native American / North Amerindians / Regulation / Social conditions / Tucson / Tucson (Ariz.) / Tucson (Ariz.) -- Economic conditions -- 20th century / Tucson (Ariz.) -- Social conditions -- 20th century / U.S.A / Women's employment
• ISBN: 0816529604, 9780816529605