Yesterday I downloaded an incredible story on my Kindle. It's called, Nine Years Among The Indians 1870-1979, by Herman Lehmann. This is a gripping tale about a man who was captured by Native Americans as a young boy. His parents had come to America from Germany.
It is difficult to read, due to the violence, cruelty, and abuse that he suffered. He became a respected warrior with the tribe, but it was a grueling process. I had always romanticized the lifestyle of the native people, being fascinated by their beauty, dress, culture, and spirituality. I even lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico for three years, being drawn to the history, landscape, and blue skies. I visited historical areas, and attended a couple of pow wows. They were nothing like the tales in this book. It gave me quite an education.
Reading Herman's detailed account opened up an entirely different reality than what I had ever known. The lifestyle of daily murder, theft, and brutality was pretty horrifying to digest, but also very educational. What I didn't realize was how much the tribes fought against each other. The antagonism and feuding was constant. I saw many parallels between the behavior of these people and the problems that we still have today. He developed an intense hatred of whites, even though he was white. It was fascinating. He had to completely change his ways, in order to survive.
He was returned to his family as an adult, and later married and had children. It is a remarkable life story. I took a long hike today, imagining those times, when all of those pioneers and Indians were intent upon heading West, and felt thankful for my blessings.
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i think a lot of history about our indigenous populations was withheld as the general public really doesn't want to know; did you know that most were cannibals also? here in Australia the property owners (100yrs ago) used to run the natives off cliffs or burn them alive; disgusting & horrifying. the only thing we heard of was the text book versions where the natives attacked white settlers apparently without being provoked; our pasts were gory not glory.
ReplyDeleteinteresting post
thanx for sharing
Hi Selina, Yes, there is a scene in this book where one tribe is roasting the leg of his friend for dinner, over the fire. It's fascinating, because it's from a captured child's perspective. It was a very bloodthirsty lifestyle. There was constant conflict between and within the tribes. I hadn't been aware of that aspect of it. If a man was killed, they also killed his squaw and child. (since they were his property.)
ReplyDeleteFascinating. I love reading stories to give me a glimpse into lives. I read once that (as you point out) it wasn't as idealist as we imagine. There is a St. Kateri and she was treated very badly when she became Christian by her tribe, and her father was a chief even. Andrea
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea, Yes. There was incredible pressure on them. Today I read the story of another woman who was kidnapped and taken captive. They brutally killed her baby in front of her. It was barbaric. The only way she gained their respect was by becoming violent. She eventually lost her temper and physically fought with two of the squaws. Because she was the strongest, and beat them up, things shifted. She was a Christian, but had to become an animal. She eventually made it home to her family, but died shortly after arriving. Her story is heartbreaking.
DeleteThat sounds like an interesting story. I like nonfictions especially historical ones, but try to ones with avoid too much violence.
ReplyDeleteHi Nil, The accuracy and truth in the book was eye opening. I had to numb myself to the violence, since it was a way of life for them at that time.
DeleteI love it when a good book immerses me, transports me, and opens my eyes to a different world. Sounds like this was your experience. And the experience is always made better when you can relate it to your own life, and come out from reading it with a new perspective. I just ended a fascinating read myself. It feels sad to put a book like that back on the shelf. Sort of like saying goodbye to a close friend.
ReplyDeleteHi Courtney, Yes, it was beautifully written, but their experience was so painful and tragic. I was actually relieved to finish it.
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