Nancy Chewie

Nancy was a Cherokee Woman (from the Fort Yuma Indian Agency in Arizona)

Yuma Indian dwellings near the Colorado River on the Yuma Indian Reservation, ca.1900
Public Domain, credit “University of Southern California Libraries” and “California Historical Society”, digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library (edited by user)

Biography:
Born c. 1895 to unknown parents, Nancy was admitted to the Canton Asylum on December 26, 1917, and diagnosed with Pellagra (Pellagra is a systemic disease caused by a severe deficiency of niacin (vitamin B3). It affects the whole body and can eventually lead to death. Symptoms include inflamed skin, diarrhea, dementia, and sores in the mouth.) When admitted Nancy was critically ill.

Nancy died in the Canton Asylum on February 7, 1918, of pulmonary tuberculosis and pellagra, at the age of 23, and according to Dr. L.L. Culp's letter to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, she was buried in the Canton Hiawatha Cemetery tier 6 plot 29. Dr. Harry Hummer, in his usual attempts to divert responsibility, said in a letter to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs dated February 7, 1918, "No criticism of anyone is intended by the remark that she was critically ill when received and the arduous trip to this Asylum did her no good", which in this case however, was probably correct. (Copy of letter uploaded to the media tab)

Her profile is part of the The Canton Asylum One Place Study.

Research Notes:
-FamilySearch provides the following legacy information:
Government record: birth name: Nancy Chewie
Government record: female
Government record: death: 7 February 1918; Canton, Lincoln, South Dakota, United States
-The Fort Yuma-Quechan Reservation is located along the Colorado River, near Yuma, Arizona. The reservation is part of the traditional lands of the Quechan people, also known as the Yuma. The Quechan are a Native American tribe who live on the reservation, which is located in Arizona and California, just north of the Mexican border. It is not known yet how/why Nancy Chewie, a Cherokee Indian, was admitted from here.
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Sources:

1918 Feb 7 - "South Dakota, Grave Registration Records, 1940-1941", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CYRJ-SG6Z : Fri Dec 15 05:31:07 UTC 2023), Entry for Nancy Chewie. no image
Name Nancy Chewie
Sex Female
Age 23
Birth Year (Estimated) 1895
Death Date 7 Feb 1918
Event Type Burial
Event Place South Dakota, United States
Event Place (Original)
South Dakota, United States
Cemetery Indian Asylum

1918 Feb 7 - Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14491743/nancy-chewie: accessed 26 January 2024), memorial page for Nancy Chewie (unknown–17 Feb 1918), Find a Grave Memorial ID 14491743, citing Hiawatha Asylum Cemetery, Canton, Lincoln County, South Dakota, USA; Maintained by Graveaddiction (contributor 46528400). (Curator Note: the date of death on FaG is incorrect, it should be 7 Feb 1918)

1918 Feb 7 - Hilton, M. (Ed.). (2023, July 10). Hiawatha Asylum for Insane Indians Historical Marker. Historical Marker. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=183486 Photo by Ruth VanSteenwyk, July 10, 2023, courtesy of HMdb.org

Mary Peirre 5-16-17 · Nancy Chewie 2-7-18 · Ruth Chief-On-Top 5-15-18