Blackfoot Family
Many (white) observers over the years believed that insanity was rare among Native Americans. Their conclusion was born out during the Indian Bureau survey that tried to assess the need for a special asylum for insane Indians; among the thousands and thousands of Indians living on reservations, fewer than a hundred could be identified with mental problems.
Manifestation of Smallpox
Though J. Lee Humfreville (see last post) had nothing to do with this survey, he backed up earlier thoughts about the prevalence of insanity with his own observations made during his Army career. In speaking about the scourge of smallpox among the Blackfeet, Humfreville told of their extreme reaction to smallpox scars.
“. . . they were so humiliated at sight of these blemishes and scars [from smallpox] that some of them committed suicide. As suicide was almost unknown . . . one may obtain from this some idea of the distress of the Blackfeet over their disfigured appearance.”
Native American Boy in Yukon Territory Receiving Smallpox Vaccine, circa 1900
Humfreville continued, “Some of the survivors of this dreaded disease became insane; as insanity was something new to them, they believed that the anger of the Great Spirit was especially directed to those who had had the disease.”*
Clearly, mental illness among Native Americans was not common at all if even an Army captain could make that case when speaking about another matter entirely.
* Italics mine.
It is certainly clear that the asylum failed in its purpose to offer help to Native Americans suffering mental illness. Many patients were misdiagnosed because of cultural misunderstandings–one of the worst aspects of the asylum was that no one in the government made any attempt to understand the (sometimes) very different basis of a Native American patient’s world view. If the asylum superintendents had simply asked for translation services–surely an obvious need–much of the misery patients suffered could have been alleviated. What a frustrating and sad experience so many patients suffered because of this cultural and racial bias.
The main purpose of the Hiawatha Asylum was essentially to punish the Native Peoples fro their outrage of governmental abuses constantly perpetrated against them. It is sad that the victims of abuse were, and are, the ones institutionalized, while the abusers walk free.