US Government Documents related to Indigenous Nations
Committee
Department of the Interior and Office of Indian Affairs
Congress
47th Congress, 2d Session
Files
Download Full Text (117 KB)
Description
This transcribed document, dated March 30, 1883, contains a letter from Henry M. Teller of the United States (US) Department of the Interior to Hiram Price of the US Office of Indian Affairs outlining perceived problems among Indigenous tribes in the US. This letter is followed by a set of rules written in response to the expressed concerns. These rules are commonly referred to as The Code of Indian Offenses. Teller expressed concern about religious practices among Indigenous tribes, including sacred dances and the leadership of medicine men. He was also concerned about plural marriage and practices surrounding property ownership. He felt that traditional practices were a hinderance to the “civilization” of Indigenous people and that something needed to be done to curb these practices. Hiram Price wrote The Code of Indian Offenses to address these concerns, outlining specific offenses that correlated to Teller’s concerns. Punishment for these offenses included, withholding of rations, hard labor, fines, and jail time. The practice of outlawing religious practices among Indigenous people in the United States legally persisted until 1978 when the US Congress passed American Indian Religious Freedom also known as the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 (sometimes abbreviated AIRFA).
Publication Date
3-30-1883
Keywords
Code of Indian Offenses, religious practices, plural marriage, property ownership, medicine men, civilization
Organizations Referenced
Department of the Interior, Office of Indian Affairs
People Referenced
Henry M. Teller, Hiram Price
Publisher
Government Printing Office
Disciplines
American Politics | Indigenous, Indian, and Aboriginal Law | Indigenous Studies | Law and Politics | Native American Studies | United States History
Recommended Citation
Price, Hiram. Rules Governing The Court of Indian Offenses. March 30, 1883. https://commons.und.edu/indigenous-gov-docs/131/.
Included in
American Politics Commons, Indigenous, Indian, and Aboriginal Law Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Law and Politics Commons, Native American Studies Commons, United States History Commons
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