Allies, Enemies, or Somewhere In-Between?: An Examination of the Complexity of Jewish-Indigenous Relationships in the American Southwest

• In Event: Materializing and Performing Jewishness in 19th Century America

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between Jewish settlers and indigenous peoples in the American Southwest, specifically in West Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The primary focus will be on the nineteenth century following the Civil War, but some twentieth century stories will also be shared to illustrate the changing nature of this relationship. Southwest Jewish researchers such as Abe Chanin and Rabbi Floyd S. Fierman have written about Jewish settlers’ interactions with the Apache, but often these discussions are a small part of a larger work. Unfortunately, many of the earlier writings tend to operate with outdated stereotypes of indigenous peoples such as with the Apache, often being described as blood thirsty and merciless. Recent scholarship like David S. Koffman’s "The Jews’ Indian: Colonialism, Pluralism, and Belonging in America", breaks down such stereotypes and analyzes the complex relationship among Jews and indigenous peoples in the American West. Rebecca Clarren’s "The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance" similarly explores this complexity as she shows how Jewish migrants benefitted from the forced removal of indigenous peoples from their lands. This paper builds off the analyses of Koffman and Clarren to demonstrate how Jewish settlers in the American Southwest regularly participated in systems of violence against indigenous peoples while also working to develop strong economic relationships with who they deemed “friendlier” tribes such as the Acoma and Zuni.

The paper aims to demonstrate how the interactions between Jews and indigenous peoples in the Southwest are reflective of such relationships elsewhere in what is now the United States. It draws from Eric L. Goldstein’s "The Price of Whiteness: Jews, Race, and American Identity" to explain how Jews sometimes discriminated against indigenous groups in order to better align themselves with Anglo Protestants, granting their own acceptance. Sources utilized for this paper include diaries of settlers, newspaper stories, and oral history transcripts. Given the prominence of antisemitism in much of the United States in the nineteenth century, this paper acknowledges how Jews simultaneously were victims of racial violence and discrimination while also engaging in it towards other groups.

Author

• Gabrielle Lyle, Sam Houston State University