Presenter: Tyler Jorgensen
Mentors: Kevin Hatfield, History and Jennifer O’Neal, Special Collections
Poster: 34
Major: Mathematics
My research concerns the Native scouts involved in the Snake War who were hired by the United States Army to hunt Northern Paiutes. Why would these native scouts want to hunt down other native people? Why would they join sides with the government which, at the time, was surging into native lands and seizing territory? This paper asserts that the answers to these questions can be grouped into three categories: money, power, and hatred, my essay will argue that these three factors are what drew the scouts to the American side. One example of a significant primary source I will use is William McKay’s journal. William McKay was the commanding officer over a force of Warm Springs scouts hired to hunt down Northern Paiutes. In addition to primary sources, I will attain information from secondary sources to provide background information for my essay, as well as display evidence to explain why these scouts fought.
For instance, I had the opportunity to ask tribal elders Wilson Wewa and Myra Johnson what they believe made the native scouts want to side with the U.S. government. They provided me with vital information and several avenues of research for my topic. My research will conclude that the incentives I identified for scouts to work with the U.S. Military far outweighed any of the complications. It is my hope that my research can fulfill a gap of knowledge on the subject and allow other scholars to see a new perspective of the conflict.