Book Description

Born into the Achumawi and Atusgewi tribes (often called the Pit River Nation) of northeastern California, Darryl Babe Wilson's early years were spent with his parents and eight brothers and sisters, in a world still rich in Indian tradition, feeling, and language. Through this compelling autobiography, we experience both the beauty of the Indian world and the deep tragedies of his young life, and celebrate his triumphant journey to adulthood. Wilson has blended Native American myths with stories of youthful innocence and experience to produce a richly textured, lyrical, and unforgettable memoir. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Literary autobiography of California Indian.
Every once in a while a book is written that changes everything.This is one of those books.This autobiography written by Darryl Babe Wilson about his Achomawi/Atsugewi (Pit River) Indian childhood in northern Californiais filled with wonder and lyrical beauty, and at the same time with painfultragedy and brutality.This is the masterful recounting of a personaljourney that enfolds us warmly in a child eye's view ofWilson'sfamily andtribal relations, as well as the intrinsic and permanent relationship withtheland in its ancient and essential dimensions.This book issimultaneously literature, an autobiography and the history of a People. Thebook begins with a dream in which Wilson is tested and reminded by theElders of his responsibility to his People.It combines observations bothminute and practical with those that sweepinglyencompass infinate place andtime, understood both by the heart and mind.We are deftly drawn into aworld that is simultaneously rugged and sweet.The family tragedy, thedeath of his mother and baby brother, and the subsequent family separationare described in wrenching detail, mirroring and paralleling thedescriptions of historic events resulting from the lethal coming of whitesinto his homeland following the discovery of gold in California.Wilsonplaces us, as readers, in a spot that is at the same time ancient,historical and contemporary.This is a story of growingself-assurance andhuman understanding as Wilson matures and comes to see the world from abroader vision, as well as his place and potential role within that world. He says, "...we must seek a power or a series of powers outside ofourselves which we identify as 'helpers.'Helpers can be a tree oranimals, rocks or mountains, stars or flowers, frogs or rainbows.Helperscome to us in our time of need, and they guide our dreams."This bookis utlimately the story of strength and power.Near the end of the book,he says, "For it was a song, according to our narratives, that causedall of the universe to have a beginning.We must seek within ourselves thespiritual terrain from our watu/ah'lo (spiritual umbilical cord) to theGreat Power, cultivating our personal power and creating wholesomeness withour thoughts and intentions...It is taught in our lessons and legends, andby our Elders, that The People are responsible for life upon earth. Honoring the lessons then becomes a mandate from Great Power/GReatWonder/Great Spirit that we are bound to obey.All people must obey theGreat Law, so the sweetness of life can continue."

This is an excellent/must read book
Every once in a while a book is written that changes everything.THE MORNING THE SUN WENT DOWN is one of those books.This autobiography written by Darryl Babe Wilson about his Achomawi/Atsugewi (Pit River)childhood in northeastern California is filled with wonder and lyricalbeauty, and at the same time with painful tragedy and brutality.This isthe masterful recounting of a personal journey that enfolds us warmly in achild eye's view of Wilson's family and tribal relations, as well as theintrinsic and permanent relationship with the land in its ancient andessential dimensions.This book is simultaneously literature, anautobiography and the history of a People.It is highly recommended.//Thisis a portion of the review by Susan Lobo that will appear in the journalNATIVE AMERICAS (Cornell)

Kirkus Reviews (2/15/98)
from "Kirkus Reviews" (starred review): A slim, modest, and altogether extraordinary memoir of rural Native American life. Wilson, a poet and scholar from the Achumawe and Atsugewi tribes of northeastern California, came into adolescence in the mid-1950s, when his people had all but disappeared through assimilation or extermination. Blame for part of that disappearance he lays squarely at the door of whites; but, he adds, "the neglect of our Elders to teach us our traditions was equally damaging." His own parents did their best to teach Wilson and his siblings something of the old ways: how to hunt deer, how to tame rattlesnakes, how to listen for mountain lions, lessons that he imparts to his readers with precision and grace- and not a little humor. But when his mother and younger brother were killed in a collision with a logging truck, Wilson was sent off to live with white foster parents among unfriendly neighbors (he remembers, touchingly, one young girl "who did not accuse me with her eyes or attitude," principally "because we were not enemies"). Whe it appeared that his foster parents wanted to strip away his Indian identity, Wilson rebelled, for which he was sent off to a boarding school where the young California Indian charges were locked in their rooms at nights and punished by day for minor infractions. Wilson recounts these horros matter-of-factly but doesn't dwell on them; instead, he celebrates a teacher who sagely corrected his compositions, encouraged him to improve himself, and urged him to become a writer.Readers have reason to be grateful to that teacher as well. Wilson is a careful and compassionate obeserver of his life and those of other young Indians, and his book is a fine addition to the growing library of Native American autobiography. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Jerry Mohatt's Priceless Gift
I was so impressed with this book - it struck so close to home - that I could not read it all at once. Like Mohatt, I lived with these people, I Sundanced with Joe Eagle Elk's father, ceremonied, got drunk, into trouble & rose again to help people. Mohatt's text is so close to the actual truth of the conditions on the reservation it literally scared me. That's why I had to stop reading from time to time. The Price of a Gift is the equal of Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, which is one of the great books about Lakota spirituality.

Honors the true voice
This is a remarkable work that honors the true voice of a Lakota medicine man and the voices of his people. Mohatt's labor is not to analyze or interpret so much as present an experience which can only begin to be appreciated or understood when the suffering, missteps, fears, and clowning of the healer are shown along with their transcendence. Eagle Elk was an ordinary man who resisted but finally gave himself over to his calling. There are many books that romanticize tokens of Native cultures or presume to make use of them; this is not that sort of book. Like Fadiman's, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, this is a work of great reverence.

Splendid, invaluable contribution to Native American studies
The story of Joseph Eagle Elk, Lakota Healer (1931-91), as told to Gerald Mohatt, cross-cultural psychologist, is simply and beautifully told.The effect of many mirrors of the gift of Joseph Eagle Elk derives in part from testimonials by people who he knew and helped to heal themselves. The sacrifice, persecution, and exhausting , demanding life of the traditional Lakota healer are fully portrayed. But the beauty that sings through in Price of a Gift is undeniable. Just to read such a book, just to know such a person lived and touched others, is profound and impacting in itself. An awareness of the core value of our lives radiates through the stories of the life of Eagle Elk. It is impossible to avoid the basic message of this book, with all its humble compassion. Without distortion, greed, evil, or pettiness, the matter of spiritual healing both as duty and joy is its glorious burden. Black Elk's vision included an awareness that the Lakota legacy would include an intrument of healing. The Price Of A Gift is evidence of that legacy. What a gift it is, to us all.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer

A Beautiful, Powerful Book
This is a must-read for everyone interested in healthcare, healing, mental health and/or Lakota culture and spirituality. It's a biography of the late Joseph Eagle Elk, which is riveting and remarkable. And as an extra bonus, the last chapter consists of a lively, multicultural discourse on the spiritual aspects of health and healing. I wish it were required reading for all healthcare professionals in the U.S.! As a Lakota, I found the book accurate and very moving. It's also one of the few books about Indigenous Tribal People written by a European-American that is truly and deeply respectful. The author conveys the complexity of Lakota culture without being patronizing or pseudo-mystical. Thank you, Mr. Mohatt, for this beautiful book. ... Read more

Book Description

TWO OF AMERICAN HISTORY’S MOST BRILLIANT WARRIORS–AND FIERCEST ENEMIES–COME ALIVE

"An invaluable addition to western history."–Evan Connell, author of Son of the Morning Star

"Written like fine historical fiction, but substantial, substantive, enlightening."–Kirkus Reviews

This captivating dual biography chronicles the lives and battles of two of America’s most famous warriors, the legendary Apache shaman, Geronimo, and the nation’s most successful Indian fighter, General George Crook. Artfully constructed from their own words, as well as newspaper accounts and the firsthand recollections of those who fought with–and against–them, here is a compelling and uniquely evenhanded account of the intriguing men at the center of one of American history’s most definitive, longest-running struggles–the infamous Apache Wars. Born to defend their respective cultures–and destined to destroy each other in the process–the vengeful, spiritually powerful Indian warrior and the remorseless, consummate professional officer are inextricably bound to each other in the fabric of our country, and in the hearts of their peoples. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I Loved It!
I am a Phoenix, Arizona native and I Loved This Book! I bought 3 copies to share with family and friends for Christmas.

Although I have lived in Phoenix and the White Mountains of Arizona all of my life and have known of the diverse Native American nations sharing our community, I had never heard the fascinating histories told with such depth and detail. I enjoyed the dual biography format of the book which allowed the reader to see General Crook and Geronimo side by side as men in opposing political environments.

The descriptive, creative language Aleshire uses makes the scenes come to life as if I were there. His story makes the history of the White Mountains, Chirichauas, San Carlos areas rich, deep and vivid with history.

Many thanks to Peter Aleshire from an Arizona native.

Junk
What a sorry mess of a book. This a shallowly researched retelling of the lives of these fighters, based on outdated secondary sources. In fact, it reads like apologia for Crook. It is well known today that only 500-750 Lakota and Cheyenne warriors faced Crook (and his 1300 men) and beat him at the Rosebud, yet Aleshire tries to claim that the two sides were of equal strength. And later, the role of Crook in conspiring with Red Cloud to remove Crazy Horse as a potential rival to Red Cloud (who had no civil authority with the Oglala except that handed to him by Americans) is not even mentioned. Instead, Crook is portrayed as innocent of having anything to do with the death of Crazy Horse. I freely admit to knowing much more about the Lakota than about the Apaches. But if Aleshire can not get these details right, why should I trust anything he has to say about the Apache aspects? Again, this seems like a book designed to gloss over Crook's moral lapses, perhaps as a counter to recent books that expose these sad events. ... Read more

Book Description

The powerful, major book, acclaimed across Canada, from the great-great-granddaughter of Chief Big Bear and Rudy Wiebe, twice winner of the Governor General's Award for Fiction. A story of justice and social injustices, of murder and morality, and of finding spiritual strength in events that might break us, told with redeeming compassion and poetic eloquence. Stolen Life is a raw, honest, and beautifully written account of the troubled society we live in, and a deeply moving affirmation of spiritual healing.

Reviews (5)

Scary, heartbreaking, shocking
I just finished the book about Yvonne and her hardships. I read it in Norwegian, but that did not diminish the affect it had on me. It's unbelievable what some people have to go through, without anyone doing something about it. And then actually surviving it all, amazing!
She said it herself in the book that people who have been through hard experiences easier can understand what others have to struggle with. And being as she is a Medicine Woman it is in her blood to try and help, wherever possible.
It is also a startling report on how the Natives are still treated in both America and Canada. One can only hope that books like this can help open at least a few peoples eyes...

Stolen Life: The Jorney of a Cree Woman
I have actually just begun to read the book as I became interested in this particular book very recently -- my family grew up in the same neighborhood as Yvonne Johnson and I felt compelled to read the book. I recall certain incidents from childhood such as her father on the front porch lining up all the children &(drunk) screaming "Indians on the Warpath" and one time grabbing my own sister off her bike, throwing her down (mistaking her for Yvonne) and then having to apologize profusely (he was drunk that time also)to my family. I recall her oldest brother dying while in the county jail, how my mother had him at times mow our lawns & we recalled how sad that time was, how the youngest, Perry, looked like a female with the long flowing hair (he had the lightest coloring), the girls Karen, Sharon, Kathy, Yvonne, how the Mother drove truck--the hard-scrabble life they led--I am sure it took a tremendous amount of courage to write this book, I recalled how she struggled with her speech, etc and how people could be mean to her.

Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams!
Tansi,

I come from a small reserve in northern Manitoba. What I read in "Journey of a Cree Woman" was unbelievable. I cannot believe how many hardships this woman had to go through, and yet she still continues on. This book really opened my eyes as to what other women go through . This book touched my heart and many times I got shivers down my back. This book is an awesome book, that I recommend especially for women. There are many good things I could say about this book, but there is a limit. I commend Rudy on his awesome work and continuied support with Yvonne. I commend Yvonne for sharing her story with us as it is not easy to tell a story that is nothing but the truth!

Stolen Life reads like a book of polished fiction.
Even though I felt like I was reading a novel, there was always the underlying sadness that came from knowing it was all true. Yvonne's story of abuse is heartbreaking because the reader can't help but wonder what kind of extraordinary life she might have led had she been raised in a loving, nurturing environment. Despite her horrendous childhood, she remains an articulate and thoughtful woman who seems to be at peace with the fact that she is a product of unfortunate circumstances. I just finished this book and now I want to buy it for a few of my girlfriends, to share the story, just as I'm sure Mr. Wiebe and Yvonne want to.

This is a heartrending story well worth reading.
While I have found Rudy Wiebe's more recent writing difficult to get into I couldn't put this book down. Yvonne's story is horrendous, almost unbelievable except that it comes through in such a way that the reader is convinced that she really has experienced her life as she and Wiebe have written it. I feel saddened and inspired to do more to understand and support our fellow native Canadians. Yvonne and Rudy, thank you for this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Sherman Sage (ca. 1844–1943) was an unforgettable Arapaho man who witnessed profound change in his community and was one of the last to see the Plains black with buffalo. As a young warrior, Sage defended his band many times, raided enemy camps, saw the first houses go up in Denver, was present at Fort Laramie for the signing of the 1868 treaty, and witnessed Crazy Horse’s surrender. Later, he visited the Ghost Dance prophet Wovoka and became a link in the spread of the Ghost Dance religion to other Plains Indian tribes. As an elder, Old Man Sage was a respected, vigorous leader, walking miles to visit friends and family even in his nineties. One of the most interviewed Native Americans in the Old West, Sage was a wellspring of information for both Arapahos and outsiders about older tribal customs.

Anthropologist Jeffrey D. Anderson gathered information about Sage’s long life from archives, interviews, recollections, and published sources and has here woven it into a compelling biography. We see different sides of Sage—how he followed a traditional Arapaho life path; what he learned about the Rocky Mountains and Plains; what he saw and did as outsiders invaded the Arapahos’ homeland in the nineteenth century; how he adjusted, survived, and guided other Arapahos during the early reservation years; and how his legacy lives on today. The remembrances of Old Man Sage’s relatives and descendants of friends make apparent that his vision and guidance were not limited to his lifetime but remain vital today in the Northern Arapaho tribe.

Jeffrey D. Anderson is an associate professor of anthropology at Colby College. He is the author of The Four Hills of Life: Northern Arapaho Knowledge and Life Movement (Nebraska 2001). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Native American leaders from a diversity of tribes
The New Warriors: Native American Leaders Since 1900 is an anthology of essays portraying twentieth century Native American leaders from a diversity of tribes, and professions, including Menominee political activist Ada Deer, Kaw U.S. Senator Charles Curtis, Crow orator and reservation superintendent Robert Yellowtail, and many more. A black-and-white photograph of each individual accompanies the succinct, educational, and highly accessible text of modern day heroes, visionaries, and organizers championing their brethren today. ... Read more

Book Description

Written in 1894 and recently recovered from the archives of the University of Minnesota, this incredible autobiography tells the story of a Chippewa-Scots French woman from Madeline Island in Lake Superior. The child and grandchild of fur traders, Eliza Morrison tells of a difficult and beautiful life carved out of the wilderness-the "starving time" with her husband John on a homestead in northern Wisconsin; her travels by boat, dog sled, and on foot; and the joy of making maple syrup in the spring. Generously illustrated with photographs, drawings, and maps, Métis culture comes alive as Native American lore and history are blended with homesteading stories in true mixed-blood fashion, giving a 19th-century woman's view of the Wisconsin Death March, the Dream Dance, and the Chippewa-Dakota War as well as a personal look at the daily life of a fur trading family. Also included is a glossary of Chippewa words. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Painstakenly Researched Work
Although an almost lifetime resident of Wisconsin, I had no idea until I read this book that Indians and European had intermarried to such a great extent in the state, and the ensuing Metis, or mixed, culture that sprang up as a result. As the years went by, most of the Metis became absorbed into the "mainstream" American society, although some chose to live with the Indians on the reservations. Some of this absorption happened naturally, some of it was forced when the government forced them to make choices.

This book has a format that I have not encountered yet, but it works very well. It consists of authentic letters between Eliza and an acquaintance of the family, explaining what was happening in her life at the time, as well as bringing in other aspects of the area's culture and history. Victoria Brehm has only modified the letters where necessary to assist in comprehenstion with items such as sentence notation and paragraph placement since some of the text was apparently very long and run-on. She has even kept in tact many of the spelling errors.

What a person absolutely must do when they read this book, is to immediately refer to the backnotes when one sees the annotation in the letter text. Ms. Brehm has done an absolutely impeccable job of putting historical reference around the letters, with her sources noted in case one wants to research with further detail. Putting context around the events Eliza is writing about makes her letters even more powerful. Eliza writes very simply, but from her heart. You can feel her pain and anguish when she writes about the accidental death of one of her children, and her frustrations pertaining to the goverment treatment of Indians and Metis.

If you are at all interested in the history of Wisconsin, or the Great Lakes area Native American or Metis culture, this book is a must read. ... Read more

Book Description

A tale of tragedy, catastrophe, and the triumph of the human spirit.

In 1830 a Yamana Indian boy, Orundellico, was bought from his uncle in Tierra del Fuego for the price of a mother-of-pearl button. Renamed Jemmy Button, he was removed from his primitive nomadic existence, where life revolved around the hunt for food and the need for shelter, and taken halfway round the world to England, then at the height of the Industrial Revolution. He learned English and Christianity, met King William IV and Queen Adelaide, and made a strong impression on many of the major figures in Britain, eventually becoming a celebrity. Charles Darwin himself befriended the Fuegian and later wrote about their time together on The Beagle, voyaging back to the southern tip of South America. Their friendship influenced one of the most important and controversial works of the century, On the Origin of the Species.

Upon his return to Tierra del Fuego, Jemmy found that life could never be the same for him there. The Beagle's captain deposited the young man on a lonely, windswept shore and charged him with the tasks of "civilizing" his people and bringing God to his homeland. At first ostracized and attacked by other Fuegians, Jemmy later became the target of zealous and ambitious missionaries. Thirty years after his return, a missionary schooner in Tierra del Fuego was attacked, with nearly everyone on board killed, and Button himself was accused of leading the massacre.

Button's life story illustrates how the lofty ideals of imperialism often resulted in appalling consequences. Thoroughly researched and remarkably well written, this fascinating and poignant story is ultimately about survival, revenge, murder, and the destruction of a whole race of people, blurring the boundaries of civilization and savagery.
... Read more

Reviews (5)

well written, worth pondering: ...author!!
Jemmy Button was not a decisive figure in human history. Indeed, he would have lived out his life and died totally forgotten were it not for the chance of his being taken to England, and returned home on the immortal voyage of the Beagle. As such, he pops up from time to time in works on Darwin and evolution, and has always left me wondering, Darwin went on to fame and authority, what ever happened to Jemmy Button? Until now, for me at least, the question has been left hanging.

In this absorbing book, Hazlewood lets Darwin go his way, and tracks Button and the fascinating story of intentions -- good or pig-headed, as you will -- gone bad. This is not a dry academic publication. The same day I got this book, a friend lent me three detective novels -- one Jeffery Deaver and two James Pattersons -- but once I got my nose into Savage, I could hardly pull it out. From my previous reading, I had a picture of Captain Fitzroy as an unpleasant character, being forced to right his wrongs through no good will of his own. Hazlewood's research shows me that I seem to have been led astray. His Fitzroy is far more sympathetic than the one I had known.

An inferior artist leaves you gasping at his craft. Hazlewood is such an expert writer that you may read the entire book without really noticing the skill and work that must have gone into the creation of this book: fluent writing, careful research, and fine construction throughout.

Had Fitzroy never packed Jemmy Button off to England, perhaps the Fuegian Indians would have disappeared from this world without a trace. At least through the work of the missionaries, whatever their motive, a record has been left of their language and some of their culture (BTW, I disagree with the previous reviewer who said we are closer to the Yamana than to the Victorians; a romantic notion that hardly bears up to a moment's consideration.) This book leaves you with a lot to think about.

Permit me to quote Alfred Russel Wallace in exposition of the book's title: "The white men in our colonies are too frequently the true savages."

Tierra del Fuego
This book is billed as a story about Jemmy Button, but Jemmy is only a starting point for this fascinating tale exploring what civilisation is, how good intentions can do wrong, and cultural misunderstanding.

Jemmy Button came from Tierra del Fuego, the land at the very south of South America. Along with 3 others from this area, he was taken away from his primitive existence (and you can be as PC as you like - it was primitive) to England. The reasoning behind this was if Jemmy and his compatriots could be taught English and 'Civilisation' he would be able to go home and teach others the benefits of good living. Well of course, it didn't quite work out that way. Jemmy and some of his compatriots were returned home (one died in England), but they were not forgotten.

As time progressed, missionaries entered the picture. Their belief was that if they could track Jemmy down, they could use him as an interpreter and go-between to help convert the Tierra del Fuegian barbarians, and bring them to the life of Christ (and make them wear clothes - this was important to missionaries). The majority of the book is taken up with the story of the various attempts of missionaries, all of them misguided and ultimately doomed to fail. As with many a story about indigenous communities, this one ends with genocide brought about by a combination of accident (introduced disease, alcohol) and intent (settlers would go out and shoot the 'vermin' that stole their sheep).

While well researched and full of detail, I thought this was a rather dry account of this period of English colonialism. However, it is an important one that has yet to receive the exposure it deserves. Students of colonialism or the demise of indigenous cultures (and some would argue they are each the same) should definitely find a copy of this book and read it.

another five star review
The reviews that are already submitted do an excellent job of describing the scope of the book so I won't do it again.
Normally I would be satisfied to see that other reviewers have given the marks that are deserved and would not bother to write yet another review.
This book is not normal, however. I was struck by Hazlewood's ability to paint all of the characters as rational and intelligent but also products of their times and cultures. The story unfolds in a nonjudmental way...and then leads the reader to be a witness to untold horrors and great tragedy.
Well worth the read.

Tragic Clash of Cultures
Charles Dickens wrote, "Missionaries are perfect nuisances and leave every place worse than they found it." I do not know if Dickens knew about the missionary aims of the Patagonian Missionary Society, but there he surely would have found confirmation of his opinion. In _Savage: The Life and Times of Jemmy Button_ (Thomas Dunne Books), Nick Hazlewood has written an amazing and sad story about missionaries, colonialism, and a tragic clash of cultures. Sparking the story, a shocking tale of repeated good intentions and bad results, was the high Tory captain of the HMS _Beagle_, Edward FitzRoy. FitzRoy thought it would be grand to take Fuegian specimens back to Britain. One of them, swapped for a button, became Jemmy Button, and Darwin got to see him on the _Beagle_'s trip in 1831 to take him back home (so he had influence in Darwin's _The Descent of Man_). FitzRoy's hopes were futile, as Jemmy turned native again.

In 1845, the Patagonian Missionary Society, one of the many Protestant vanguards of British colonialism, made an effort to land on Tierra del Fuego and begin proselytizing. The mission lasted a week, because the natives merely stole from it, without improvement of their souls. In 1850, a similar attempt lead to the deaths of the missionaries. Newspapers warned the Patagonian Missionary Society off any future effort, but the public loved this British bravado, and the Society was emboldened to try a new venture. It would use one of the Falkland Islands as a staging ground to which Fuegians could be ferried, civilized, converted, and returned. To this end, Jemmy was found and was kidnapped once again, along with members of his family. They became homesick and resentful, and were cycled back home, with another nine Fuegians picked up. The Society's reports were glowing, but glossed over the frequent problems. One of the basic ones was that the Fuegians had little concept of property rights, and when they liked something, they took it, and they resented any subsequent searches. When this group was returned, eight missionaries were murdered. The Society blamed the work of Satan, but as one letter to the papers said, the massacre "...was produced by the recklessness of the society and their agents, and therefore I must conclude that Satan is much maligned in this matter."

Hazlewood has told this astonishing and distressing story with a novelist's fluency. In the end, the efforts toward the Fuegians could not have been more futile. Ranchers and sheep-farmers soon began invading their island, and brought devastating diseases or simply hunted them down and shot them. No pure Fuegians survived. Those with intentions of greed harmed them as much as those with intentions of improvement under the guise of imposition of a strong culture over a weak one. Such were the benefits of civilization to the savages.

Savages all round, but sympathetically treated
The title, "Savage", is of course ironical. Captain Fitzroy thought, when he captured three Tierra Fuegian men and a young girl in 1830, that his "specimens" were the savages, even as he sailed them away from their homes and their grieving families.

So _Fitzroy_ is the savage, of course? Certainly, but Hazlewood's irony, and his capacity for imaginative compassion, is deeper than that.

Fitzroy thought he was doing good. Mutual incomprehension between the Tierra del Fuegians and passing European and American ships had led to murder: and people with muskets and ship's cannon are more efficient at murder than people with spears. If some Tierra del Fuegians could be taught English and gain an understanding of European culture and manners, there might be fewer violent encounters. And if his captives could be taught to build and cultivate crops, then they could be returned to their homes, equipped with seeds, food animals and tools, and perhaps teach their kinspeople a more comfortable and secure way of living.

Hazlewood tells the story of how this benevolent (by the standards of its time) project goes horribly wrong. The remarkable figure of Jemmy Button, the resourceful young man captured by Fitzroy (later returned to his home by Fitzroy, as promised), and how he fared in English culture and his own, is a central thread in that story. However this is history and not biography; the canvas is wider than one man.

Tragedy comes with the arrival of the Patagonian Missionary Society in the Land of Fire. Like Fitzroy they believed they came with good intentions; unlike Fitzroy they offered little of value, took much, and mostly broke their promises. They sought the help of Jemmy Button, who was back living with his people, but with a half-remembered stock of English. Button offered that help, and he and his family, and other Tierra del Fuegians were in return kept as virtual slaves in the Society's encampment. Hazlewood shows how tensions rose until the missionaries were massacred, probably by a party led by Jemmy Button.

Interestingly, despite what we think of as the racist arrogance of the Victorians, the authorities in nearby Port Stanley and in London understood the events in terms that we might consider "modern": they saw the massacre as the result of the missionary society's cruelty, bigotry and duplicity, which had placed intolerable pressure on the Tierra del Fuegians. Claims that the slain missionaries had been "martyrs" were quietly (and justly) derided, and no attempt was made to avenge their deaths.

The title "Savage", I think, refers neither to the Tiera del Fuegians nor by heavy-handed irony to the Victorians. Though the Patagonian Missionary Society does emerge as something of a villain, their villainy was too drab to be "savage". The title refers not to people but to the events that led to the destruction of the first and second missions to Tierra del Fuego.

The wholesale slaughter of Jemmy Button's people by European settlers a generation or two later is dealt with briefly at the end of the book; that was unquestionably the act of savages, but beyond the focus of this book.

This is a great book. Far from depressing despite the subject matter, it is instead encouraging about the possibility of communication and imaginative sympathy between people whose cultures, histories, technologies and languages have virtually nothing in common, so long as neither side is blinded by racist or religious arrogance.

We are in some ways as far from the Victorians as we are from the Tierra del Fuegians. It may be easier for us to imaginatively identify with Tierra del Fuegian ideas on (for example) family, sex, politics, clothing, and perhaps religion, than with the Victorians. The Victorians, particularly Hazlewood's missionaries, accepted a vast and rigid structure of ideas, almost none of which we now accept; Tierra del Fuegian attitudes are in some ways easier for a post-post-modernist to accept. (This is not to pretend that the Tierra del Fuegians were new age philosophers, let alone Noble Savages.)

So the book is an exercise in empathy for both the Victorian and Tierra del Fuegian protagonists, and reveals the humanity of both. An example is Jemmy Button's bashfulness in the presence of an Englishwoman, when a British ship arrives at his Tierra del Fuegian home twenty years after Button's return. That his discomfort turns out to be because he has married, and that Button is inclined to conceal his married status while talking with a lady ("English ladies very good," he had commented), is cheering enough, and so too is the comprehension of the British sailors when Button's wife arrives by canoe, to find out what is going on. Button's embarrassment, and the hearty congratulations of the sailors when they recognise the cause of his embarrassment, is in its own way an inspiring moment, and well captured by Hazlewood. These are not saints on either side of this cultural divide, but they are human. And they enjoy their mutual recognition without imagining, as a post-structuralist might, that they are unable to communicate because they are irredeemiably "other".

While it both inspires and also makes angry, "Savage" is also a hugely entertaining book. Hazlewood offers many revealing glimpses into peoples, white and brown, whose ways of life have long since vanished. For example this, from a 17th century sea-captain's letter to his son:

"A merchant of Loundon wrote to a factor of his beyoand sea, desired him by the next shipp to send him 2 or 3 Apes; he forgot the r, so it was 203 Apes. His factor has sent him four score, and says he shall have the rest by the next shipp ... if yorself or frendes will buy any Apes to breede on, you could never have such a chance as now."

Even then, a simple typo could have embarrassing results...

Cheers!

Laon ... Read more

Book Description

In this fascinating self-portrait, George Morrison, who calls himself "an artist who happens to be an Indian," tells a personal story of a life of changing horizons and artistic achievement. Growing up in a large family ("we didn't know we were poor"), he bartered pictures with town kids and carved trinkets to sell to tourists. Encouraged by his teachers, he attended art school in Minneapolis, then moved to New York City. At the Art Students League, George was swept up in Abstract Expressionism, showed his work in Greenwich Village lofts, and spent summers working and painting in Provincetown, Massachusetts. He later taught at the Rhode Island School of Design. But in 1970, his direction turned toward home, and George began to search out his Ojibway heritage. Turning the Feather Around is a work of intimate personal disclosure that captures the pulse of the speaking voice and the vision of the artist's eye. ... Read more

Book Description

Carlos Montezuma (1866?–1923) was one of the great Native American crusaders for Indian rights in the early twentieth century. This biography by an authority on Southwest Indian history tells a dramatic story that sheds light both on Montezuma’s career and on the movements he influenced.A southern Arizona Yavapai called Wassaja by his parents, Montezuma was captured by rival tribesmen as a boy and sold to a white man who gave him the name by which we know him. Trained as a physician, his career as a reformer began when he went to work at the Carlisle Indian School, for here—in addition to serving as physician to the famous Carlisle football team—he was able to meet many of the people centrally involved in the administration of federal Indian policy. Shortly after the turn of the century Montezuma emerged as a national leader of Native American affairs. He helped to found the Society of American Indians and became increasingly involved in the affairs of the Fort McDowell Yavapai reservation, earning fame among pan-Indian activists and among his own people in Arizona, and attaining notoriety in the BIA. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good reading for judokas
As a judo player, I enjoyed reading the sections detailing Campbell's judo days. It's worth having on those reasons alone. ... Read more

Book Description

Warriors, statesmen, prophets and scholars,--the firmest of friends and most formidable of foes--there are heroes and heroines of many kinds in the often tragic yet inspiring saga of North American Indians.Many of the Indian personalities whose lives are briefly described here were Chiefs--some of them have become famous around the world.All were leaders in a great struggle to preserve treasured lands and lifeways.With their tribesmen, they are inseparably linked to our country's history from its earliest beginnings through generations of growth.Biographies (most including portraits or photographs) include Powhatan, Pocohantas, Massasoit, King Philip, Pope, Joseph Brant, Pontiac, Sacajawea, Tecumseh, Sequoyah, John Ross, Black Hawk, Osceola, Cochise, Seattle, Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, Wovoka, Joseph, Quanah Parker, and Geronimo. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This is the type of stuff they left out of history books
Marc Simmons has done a wonderful job documenting the Southwest through many of his writings.In"The Little Lion of the Soutwest" he brings to life Manuel Antonio (Duran y) Chaves. Manuel lived through a drastically changing political environment of what he considered his homeland since when the Duran y Chaveses first found their way into what is now the American Southwest in the early 1600s. Simmons documents Manuel's childhood, military service, and livelihood through his son, Amado's collection, and other historical documentation.Mr. Simmons puts a face on some of the personalities that helped shape (what is now) New Mexico during the 1800s.

These are the tales of which my family grew up on.This story reminiscents to how well our great+ grandfathers lived compared to what resulted when many hispanic families were pushed off their lands. As a child, I remember hearing tales about the dealings with the Native Americans, having huge herds of cattle and sheep, and that there were a few in the family who fought in the old wars.During that time, I chalked these up as family "fish tales".In reading "The Little Lion", some of these myths come to life. Mr. Simmons helps in piecing together a history of what one great man of the Chavez family went through.For this I am grateful to read about because my fifth great grandfather was one of Manuel Antonio's uncles.Mr. Simmons writing's on Manuel Antonio Chavez makes many proud of the honor of being part of this "Distinctive American Clan".

This book is one I will always cherish, knowing someone took the time in giving a voice to a few lives of the Southwest.This is the stuff that should be taught in American History. ... Read more