An Unexpected History Lesson

“The Indian Side of the Question”: Settling the Story of Potawatomi Removal in the Twentieth-Century Midwest

“…As the founding member of the Aubbeenaubbee Tribe of Plymouth, Indiana, in 1872, a division of the Improved Order of the Red Men (IORM), McDonald took pride in his role as the "great sachem" of the "tribe." 47 The IORM, according to McDonald, was "founded on the old Indian customs of adoption and aims to bring the novitiate from a supposed low and degraded state to an improved and perfected condition of manhood." 48 McDonald's participation in the IORM was not unusual for men of his social standing during this era.…”

“…47 The IORM, according to McDonald, was "founded on the old Indian customs of adoption and aims to bring the novitiate from a supposed low and degraded state to an improved and perfected condition of manhood." 48 McDonald's participation in the IORM was not unusual for men of his social standing during this era. "Playing Indian," as historian Philip Deloria argues, allowed white Americans in fraternal organizations such as the IORM to see themselves as historians and "worthy keepers of the nation's aboriginal roots."…”