Abstract

Abstract:

This article explores Indian baby shows, contests that evaluated babies on standards of ideal health, in both the Progressive Era and the years surrounding WWII. In comparison to non-Native shows, Native baby shows took on added significance. In particular, shows for tourists at Yosemite National Park (1916–1929) were charged with racialized ideologies that vacillated between goals of assimilation and the promotional lure of exoticization. Shows conducted during the 1940s at "Nevada Day" celebrations similarly fetishized Native women and children because of their perceived cultural differences, but simultaneously characterized them as "All-American." The reoccurrence of baby shows in these distinct contexts highlights the evolution of Americanization in the lives of Native women and children throughout the twentieth century. Although the particular touristic and symbolic goals of baby shows changed over time, Native women's consistent interaction with the state and the public demonstrates their powerful engagement with conceptions of American identity.

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