Cowboys and Indians (and Farmers)
Oh...the Farmer and the Cowman should be friends....
But, why? Oklahoma!, the musical, does a great job of asking the farmers and cowmen to work together for the common good; however, why do they need to work together? Is statehood the only reason they should band together? We would offer that there is an unspoken 'other' in Oklahoma! - a group of people who the settlers both ignore and fear - that, structurally, necessitates collaboration between farmers and cowmen.
It has to do with Jud Fry.
Have you ever wondered why Jud Fry is set up as such a terrifying figure? It seems hard to believe that the show 'works' with such a singular/friendless/hopeless antagonist. He's not particularly dangerous to the Oklahoman's way of life - maybe to individuals, but not to the point that he could jeopardize statehood. Further, when we meet Jud Fry, is his behavior so terrible that it warrants the settler's treatment of him? What does he 'do' to become the 'bad guy' from the beginning of the musical? Why are we asked to despise Jud but root for Curly?
It has to do with Jud Fry.
Have you ever wondered why Jud Fry is set up as such a terrifying figure? It seems hard to believe that the show 'works' with such a singular/friendless/hopeless antagonist. He's not particularly dangerous to the Oklahoman's way of life - maybe to individuals, but not to the point that he could jeopardize statehood. Further, when we meet Jud Fry, is his behavior so terrible that it warrants the settler's treatment of him? What does he 'do' to become the 'bad guy' from the beginning of the musical? Why are we asked to despise Jud but root for Curly?
Who is Jud Fry?
Historically, Oklahoma!'s "other" is set up long before the actual story takes place.
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forcefully relocated 5 Native American tribes from their ancestral homes in what we know today as the deep South, and moved them west to land set aside for them in current day Oklahoma. The Indian nation's march west has been named the "Trail of Tears." It is estimated that 2000-6000 Cherokee's died on their march west.
These 5 nations, and several smaller nations, were squashed together in a new "Indian Territory" to continue with their lives.
Things didn't go well.
The Indian Nations were relocated to a place and climate that were vastly different than the locations they had lived in for generations. They needed to learn new skills to survive and thrive - sometimes they acquired these skills, and sometimes they didn't. Frustrations were heightened, and skirmishes broke out between Indian nations.
The Indian Nations were relocated to a place and climate that were vastly different than the locations they had lived in for generations. They needed to learn new skills to survive and thrive - sometimes they acquired these skills, and sometimes they didn't. Frustrations were heightened, and skirmishes broke out between Indian nations.
Between 1858 and 1875 (before, during and after the Civil War), different Indian Nations fought several battles with the governments of the U.S. (both the Union and the Confederacy) for land and control of the territory. After the Civil War (1861-1865), the U.S. government "re-negotiated" the relocation treaties with all tribes in Indian Territory that had supported the Confederacy. Many tribes punitively lost land in these "Reconstruction Treaties."
Further, as the United States continued to expand, and the need for new land and space for farming and cattle ranching grew desperate, the U.S. government passed the Indian Appropriations Acts (1851, 1871, 1885, 1889) that allowed it to confiscate the Indian's "unused" territory in return for payment (often without the Indian's approval), which restricted Indian territory even further. The government then gave these lands to settlers in what was know as the "Land Rush."
Read on about the Oklahoma Land Rush.
Further, as the United States continued to expand, and the need for new land and space for farming and cattle ranching grew desperate, the U.S. government passed the Indian Appropriations Acts (1851, 1871, 1885, 1889) that allowed it to confiscate the Indian's "unused" territory in return for payment (often without the Indian's approval), which restricted Indian territory even further. The government then gave these lands to settlers in what was know as the "Land Rush."
Read on about the Oklahoma Land Rush.