Tales of the Old Indian Territory and Essays on the Indian Condition
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Indian Territory, which would eventually become the state of Oklahoma, was a multicultural space in which various Native tribes, European Americans, and African Americans were equally engaged in struggles to carve out meaningful lives in a harsh landscape. John Milton Oskison, born in the territory to a Cherokee mother and an immigrant English father, was brought up engaging in his Cherokee heritage, including its oral traditions, and appreciating the utilitarian value of an American education.

Oskison left Indian Territory to attend college and went on to have a long career in New York City journalism, working for the New York Evening Post and Collier’s Magazine. He also wrote short stories and essays for newspapers and magazines, most of which were about contemporary life in Indian Territory and depicted a complex multicultural landscape of cowboys, farmers, outlaws, and families dealing with the consequences of multiple interacting cultures.

Though Oskison was a well-known and prolific Cherokee writer, journalist, and activist, few of his works are known today. This first comprehensive collection of Oskison’s unpublished autobiography, short stories, autobiographical essays, and essays about life in Indian Territory at the turn of the twentieth century fills a significant void in the literature and thought of a critical time and place in the history of the United States.
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Tales of the Old Indian Territory and Essays on the Indian Condition
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Indian Territory, which would eventually become the state of Oklahoma, was a multicultural space in which various Native tribes, European Americans, and African Americans were equally engaged in struggles to carve out meaningful lives in a harsh landscape. John Milton Oskison, born in the territory to a Cherokee mother and an immigrant English father, was brought up engaging in his Cherokee heritage, including its oral traditions, and appreciating the utilitarian value of an American education.

Oskison left Indian Territory to attend college and went on to have a long career in New York City journalism, working for the New York Evening Post and Collier’s Magazine. He also wrote short stories and essays for newspapers and magazines, most of which were about contemporary life in Indian Territory and depicted a complex multicultural landscape of cowboys, farmers, outlaws, and families dealing with the consequences of multiple interacting cultures.

Though Oskison was a well-known and prolific Cherokee writer, journalist, and activist, few of his works are known today. This first comprehensive collection of Oskison’s unpublished autobiography, short stories, autobiographical essays, and essays about life in Indian Territory at the turn of the twentieth century fills a significant void in the literature and thought of a critical time and place in the history of the United States.
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Tales of the Old Indian Territory and Essays on the Indian Condition

Tales of the Old Indian Territory and Essays on the Indian Condition

Tales of the Old Indian Territory and Essays on the Indian Condition

Tales of the Old Indian Territory and Essays on the Indian Condition

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Overview

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Indian Territory, which would eventually become the state of Oklahoma, was a multicultural space in which various Native tribes, European Americans, and African Americans were equally engaged in struggles to carve out meaningful lives in a harsh landscape. John Milton Oskison, born in the territory to a Cherokee mother and an immigrant English father, was brought up engaging in his Cherokee heritage, including its oral traditions, and appreciating the utilitarian value of an American education.

Oskison left Indian Territory to attend college and went on to have a long career in New York City journalism, working for the New York Evening Post and Collier’s Magazine. He also wrote short stories and essays for newspapers and magazines, most of which were about contemporary life in Indian Territory and depicted a complex multicultural landscape of cowboys, farmers, outlaws, and families dealing with the consequences of multiple interacting cultures.

Though Oskison was a well-known and prolific Cherokee writer, journalist, and activist, few of his works are known today. This first comprehensive collection of Oskison’s unpublished autobiography, short stories, autobiographical essays, and essays about life in Indian Territory at the turn of the twentieth century fills a significant void in the literature and thought of a critical time and place in the history of the United States.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780803237926
Publisher: Nebraska Paperback
Publication date: 06/01/2012
Series: American Indian Lives
Pages: 680
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author


John Milton Oskison (1874–1947) had a long career in New York City journalism and was also a well-known and popular writer in his time, writing short stories and essays for newspapers and magazines in both the United States and London. Lionel Larré is an associate professor of English at the Université Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux 3. He has published two books in France and numerous articles on Native American subjects.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction 1

Part 1 Autobiography

A Tale of the Old I.T: An Autobiography John Milton Oskison 65

A Trip to Yosemite Valley: Graphic Picture of Grand Scenery Drawn by a Vinita Boy 133

A Letter to His Father: John Milton Oskison Writes of His Visit in Europe 137

An Autobiographical Letter to Journalist Frederick S. Barde 139

Part 2 Fiction

I Match You: You Match Me 147

Tookh Steh's Mistake 152

A Schoolmaster's Dissipation 158

"Only the Master Shall Praise" 165

When the Grass Grew Long 177

The Biologist's Quest 182

I Saw an Eagle Strike 192

To "Youngers' Bend" 194

A Border Judge and His Court 203

Working for Fame 212

The Fall of King Chris 221

"The Quality of Mercy" 232

The Greater Appeal 240

The Problem of Old Harjo 248

Young Henry and the Old Man 255

Koenig's Discovery 262

Out of the Night That Covers 272

Walla Tenaka-Creek 281

The Apples of Hesperides, Kansas 289

The Man Who Interfered 305

The Other Partner 313

The Singing Bird 331

Part 3 Essays

Cherokee Migration 349

The President and the Indian: Rich Opportunity for the Red Man 353

The Outlook for the Indian 358

Friends of the Indian 362

Lake Mohonk Conference 365

The Need of Publicity in Indian Affairs 369

Remaining Causes of Indian Discontent 371

Making an Individual of the Indian 380

A Carlisle Commencement 391

The Indian in the Professions 399

The Enduring Qualities of the Indian 404

The Little Mother of the Pueblos 407

An Apache Problem 411

Acquiring a Standard of Value 417

Arizona and Forty Thousand Indians 421

The Closing Chapter: Passing of the Old Indian 429

A Bigger Load for Educated Indians 437

In Governing the Indian, Use the Indian! 441

The New Indian Leadership 448

Source Acknowledgments 457

Notes 461

Bibliography 629

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