Changes in the Well-Being of Native Americans Born in the Northwest, 1830-1900.

Kris Inwood, University of Guelph
Richard L. Steckel, The Ohio State University

In this paper we consider the physical well-being of Native Americans living along and near the northwest coast of North America in the nineteenth century. Systematic evidence extracted from prison and other sources suggests that physical well-being improved for Indians born in the middle decades of the nineteenth century. This is somewhat unexpected given the simultaneous decline of indigenous population. We identify potential hypotheses including the particular character of prison records that might explain the phenomenon of stable or improving health amid population decline.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 30. Archival Prison Data and Its Complexities