These 1922 documents assess the living situations of Chippewa families living on the Lac du Flambeau reservation in Wisconsin. Compiled by the Lac du Flambeau superintendent, J.W. Balmer, the sheets were submitted to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in Washington as part of a larger report. The sheets, which recount particulars of each family’s life, perform the function of a makeshift census, collecting names and birth dates of the resident in each home. They allow us to glimpse the quality of housing stock and amenities and glean some information about the health of the people living on the reservation. But in their assessments of family dynamics, work habits, and recreational choices, the reports also reflect the paternalism of the reservation system at the time.Get the Story:
The Vault: How the Government Monitored Life on a 1920s Reservation (Slate 11/4)
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