Presenter: Anna Karvina Pidong
Faculty Mentor: Kevin Hatfield, Jennifer O’Neal
Presentation Type: Oral
Primary Research Area: Social Science
Major: Accounting
The late nineteenth century was marked by movements towards a more moral and perfect society: abolishing slavery, prohibiting alcohol, and Christianizing Indians. The message of these movements were disseminated in several different ways. In this paper, I argue that food systems on the Malheur Reservation were a source of power for the two Indian agents who served there, Samuel Parrish and William Rinehart, to manifest their thoughts on what made a more moral and perfect society. Research from government correspondence and Appointment Papers of the State of Oregon show how Parrish and Rinehart cultivated and distributed food on the reservation asserted their power. Parrish utilized farming activities on the reservation to change policies in favor of the Northern Paiutes while Rinehart used food as a means of exerting control over the Northern Paiutes. Food and farming also affected how the Parrish and Rinehart interacted with the pressures from settlers around Malheur.