Skip to main content

Distributed for Dartmouth College Press

The Indian History of an American Institution

Native Americans and Dartmouth

Dartmouth College began life as an Indian school, a pretense that has since been abandoned. Still, the institution has a unique, if complicated, relationship with Native Americans and their history. Beginning with Samson Occom’s role as the first “development officer” of the college, Colin G. Calloway tells the entire, complex story of Dartmouth’s historical and ongoing relationship with Native Americans. Calloway recounts the struggles and achievements of Indian attendees and the history of Dartmouth alumni’s involvements with American Indian affairs. He also covers more recent developments, such as the mascot controversies, the emergence of an active Native American student organization, and the partial fulfillment of a promise deferred. This is a fascinating picture of an elite American institution and its troubled relationship— at times compassionate, at times conflicted—with Indians and Native American culture.

280 pages | 6 x 9 | © 2010

Native American and Indigenous Studies


View all books from Dartmouth College Press

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments • Introduction: A School in the Heart of the Indian Country • Eleazar Wheelock and the Indian Charity School, 1743-69 • Samson Occom and the Indian Money, 1765-75 • Dartmouth, Indians, and the American Revolution, 1775-1800 • Dartmouth Men in the Indian Country, 1775-1820 • Dartmouth in the Age of Indian Removal, 1820-50 • Students from Indian Territory, 1850-85 • Charles Eastman, 1858-1939 • Indian Symbols and Some Indian Students, 1900-1969 • The Return of the Natives, 1970-2010 • Conclusion: Eleazar Wheelock Meets Luther Standing Bear • Appendixes • Indian Students at Moor’s Charity School • Native Americans at Dartmouth • Notes • Select Bibliography • Index 

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press