Unsettled Ground: The Whitman Massacre and Its Shifting Legacy in the American West

Unsettled Ground: The Whitman Massacre and Its Shifting Legacy in the American West by Cassandra Tate

Marcus Whitman was once viewed as a bold leader who gave his life to help pave the way for the foundation of Oregon Territory and Washington State. In modern times, he is viewed as a cruel imperialist who tried to destroy an innocent Indian population by forcing his beliefs and practices on them. The truth is much more complicated. This book attempts to show the balanced view of the Whitmans as people of their time.

The Whitman's were devout east coast protestants. They viewed their brand of Christianity to be the only path towards salvation. They felt a need to convert the Indians so that they could also have the blessings and would not suffer eternal damnation. The existing native culture and religion were viewed as negative practices that needed to be stomped out. Even Catholicism was a danger that would impeded salvation. These people traveled across the continent to help save people.

Marcus Whitman was also a doctor. He used his skills to help both the Indians and the White missionaries. This would also lead to his death. In the native culture of the area, the doctors were viewed as people skilled in mysterious arts. They had skills of healing as well as of causing harm. If somebody died after being treated, it was a common practice to avenge the death by killing the doctor. Alas, there were many infectious diseases for which the Indians had little immunity. After many natives had died, there was justification in killing the doctor.

Relationships between "Bostonians" and "Indians" had also been having problems. The cultural norms of privacy and gift giving were very different. The Whites saw themselves as superior and were reluctant to adopt any local customs.  There was an unatoned for recent of Christian Indian by a White settler in a different areas.  The territory was also being overrun with White settlers from the east. The missionaries had been spending much of their time supporting these immigrants. They viewed these people as helping spread the higher culture. They also saw additional trade as supporting their mission by allowing them to financially independent. To Indians living there, these were more people encroaching on their land without payment.

With the current conditions, even the missionaries viewed the conditions less than ideal. They were ambushed by some Indians who killed many of them and held others as hostage. Retribution for this was significant. Five Indians were tried, convicted and executed. The tribe was confined to a reservation - that was reduced in size. The land became the Oregon territory and became overrun with huge numbers of settlers.

The book paints a picture of many flawed people that thought they were doing right. The Missionaries themselves had strong opinions of right and wrong. They did not get along well with each other or with the natives. The strong beliefs that drove them to missionary work also hurt the work itself. Had they better learned the culture and language of the locals, they would have likely had better experience in spreading their religion. Would this have changed the history of the Pacific Northwest?