At its most basic level, the American Captivity Narrative is a biographical or autobiographical account of an individual’s captivity at the hands of the Native Americans. Though understood to be an accurate account of the individual’s experience, these narratives contain a number of common rhetorical features that serve to augment the emotional impact of the events described. Frequently, the customs and practices of each individual’s captors are the source of these notable occurrences. Common themes include: torture or suffering, adoption, hunting, and the sharing or discussion of spiritual beliefs. Taken as a whole, these major events weave a narrative of self-transformation. Though these texts do not typically end with the narrator converting …show more content…
Though Isaac Jogues remained a slave of sorts throughout his captivity, both John Smith and Hans Staden were accepted into the tribes that had captured them. One frequent concept described in the narratives speaks to the fact that the Native Americans often adopted the captive into a family to compensate for the recent death of a family member. Jogues claims that it is customary when “they spare a prisoner’s life, to adopt him into some family to supply the place of a deceased, to whose rights he in a manner succeeds” (106). This is a rather intriguing concept as it suggests that the Native Americans were willing to grant a great deal of personal status to the same captives they had tormented. Hans Staden notes a similar trend in his own captivity as he finally approaches his freedom. The king of the Tuppin Imba expresses profound sorrow at his departure and indeed, states that “he looked on [Staden] as a son” (58). In all of these accounts, the narrators assert that they assimilated into their captors’ culture on a level that far exceeded simple camaraderie. Instead, the native people culturally embraced them in a decidedly intimate way. Considering that they were previously seen as outsiders and enemies, the idea of suddenly becoming family speaks powerfully to the different customs of the Native …show more content…
This generally occurs after the narrator has been accepted into the society, with the exchange often composed of the captive attempting to impart Christian understanding to his captors. For Jogues, this involved instructing “the oldest on the articles of our faith…I endeavored to raise their minds from creatures, to a knowledge of the Creator” (116). While Jogues treated this period with a missionary mentality, conversion was not necessarily the purpose of these exchanges. John Smith recalls a conversation with Tecaughretanego in which he was chastised for laughing during a somber smoking ritual. . Apologizing for making “sport of sacred things” (312), Smith acknowledges his error and proceeds to have a conversation regarding the nature of God and reconciliation. In spite of the fact that Protestant readers at the time would hold the Native Americans to be heathens and savages, the conversation makes Tecaughretanego appear to be both wise and spiritually rich. In effect, this aspect of the Captivity Narrative draws parallels between the audience and the Native Americans, even if not explicitly stated. To the contemporary audience, these discussions and expositions of faith would have struck a powerful
Demos, John. The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America. New York: Vintage, 1994. Print.
Prison Writings, by Leonard Peltier, provides us with a heart-throbbing story of a martyr fighting for the right of his fellow Native Americans. In this book, Peltier explains the events that led to his arrest, and his experience being imprisoned for a crime that he didn’t commit. He starts off with a chilling tale, reminiscing the horror of being imprisoned, and recalling the paranoia of having to always be “on the edge” and of “never [letting] your guard down.” (Peltier, 3) He then tells us, in his point of view, the circumstances that led up to his arrest, revealing his poor upbringing in the Dakotas, and his involvement with the AIM (American Indian Movement). As an American Indian leader, Peltier went to help and protect the people at the siege going on at Pine Ridge, where there has a gun battle and two agents were killed. After the siege, Peltier went to hide in Canada, where he was captured by the RMP. He was then
In “Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson”, the author writes about her time in captivity in 1682. This document is considered an autobiography, as it was a firsthand account of the author. She is trying to show the brutal tactics used by the Native Americans. They would utilize hostages as a bargaining chip to negotiate for more authority and power.
In this essay I will be doing a brief overview of the book Lame Deer Seeker of Visions, by Richard Erdoes. Within this book a monumental task has been achieved, which turns out to provide unparalleled information and a concrete depiction of the Native American Indian. This aspect has been portrayed through the eyes of a Sioux medicine man throughout the book and to many individual’s dismay, paints an accurate picture of both events that occurred and how Native American Indians were being treated at the time. Capturing the true essence of hours of in depth interviews, which have both been written out in detail and videotaped, years of friendship between Richard and Lame Deer, we are able to read upon a magnificent
John Demos in a sense presents themes that are entirely familiar and conventional. The themes of sin, retribution, and repentance are very prevalent in his writing. The loss of piety, the failure of spiritual nerve, the absolute necessity of reform; and the certainty of God's punishment if reform was not achieved appear throughout his book (Demos). (In this instance, Eunice's failure to return to her native land is putting her at risk in the eyes of God). For approximately 60 years John Williams who had been a captive for almost two years, and is one of the main characters of the story writes different letters, sermons, in an effort to reach the captive daughter. According to John Williams, "God is the bestower and giver of all our good things. Our mercies come to us not by casualty or by accident. These mercies are not of our own procuring and purchasing" (Demos, 62). John Demos uses the story of John Williams to describe the conflict between the Puritans and Jesuits. "The Jesuits had their own cultural and religious ways versus those of the "savages"; the adjustments and compromises they feel obliged to accept, and the core of essentials they must vigilantly defend" (Demos 129). The conversion of English captives to Catholicism was the primary goal of the Jesuits. "The Indians were not mere imitators of an alien model; their culture, their history and their values contributed strongly to the evolving patterns of converting to Christianity" (Demos 171).
Both Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and John Smith hold different attitudes regarding their accounts of Indian life. The difference in attitudes may have resulted from the difference in treatments that each man received while in captivity.
Native American literature from the Southeastern United States is deeply rooted in the oral traditions of the various tribes that have historically called that region home. While the tribes most integrally associated with the Southeastern U.S. in the American popular mind--the FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole)--were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) from their ancestral territories in the American South, descendents of those tribes have created compelling literary works that have kept alive their tribal identities and histories by incorporating traditional themes and narrative elements. While reflecting profound awareness of the value of the Native American past, these literary works have also revealed knowing perspectives on the meaning of the modern world in the lives of contemporary Native Americans.
The conventional image that comes to mind when talking about the native Americans during the period of the building of the new world is brutal. The term “savage” is most closely associated with them and their practices at the time. It is important, as mentioned in P’s class, to remember that all the information we have on native Americans is what had been provided by the settlers. Therefore when studying the autobiography of Mary Rowlandson during her captivity, observing the actions of the native Americans, beyond Rowlandson’s descriptions gave more insight into what the atmosphere at the time was. It is also important to note that the Puritans,
“What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” by Sherman Alexie gives readers a look at the life of homeless, easygoing, middle aged Native American, Jackson Jackson. The story, which is set in Seattle, describes the conditions that Jackson finds himself in. Alexie’s choice of motifs emphasizes the significance of cultural and historical references. With these concepts in mind, the reader is taken through a journey of self-realization. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” narrates the internal struggle Jackson feels trying to figure out his personal identity as a Native American. The story chronicles situations that illustrate the common stereotypes about Natives. Through Jackson’s humble personality, the reader can grasp his true feeling towards White people, which
In the article “Lost in America,” McGray asserts that globalization is fruitful within the United States of America, but he is concerned that America won't take advantage of this merit. Because this article was published in a magazine in foreign policy in 2006, McGray assays to direct this subject to two particular cliques: Americans who have an interest in foreign policy and the education system. McGray believes that the problems lay in America's stubbornness due external problems outside the United States. He provides evidence of young Americans incompetence and apathy towards the rising complication. McGray intends to instill fear due to what will occur if America's classroom lags behind in education. This specifically draws the attention
into the Native American way of life and some of the hardships that can befall the victims
In constructing “ The Unredeemed Captive,” John Demos uses many styles of writing. One of the most pronounced styles used in this book is an argumentative style of writing. John Demos argues many points throughout the book and makes several contradictions to topics discussed previously in the work. John Demos also uses several major themes in the book, suck as captivity, kinship, negotiation, trade, regional and national development, and international relations. Each one of these themes, in my opinion, are what separate the book into its major sections.
In a desperate attempt to discover his true identity, the narrator decides to go back to Wisconsin. He was finally breaking free from captivity. The narrator was filling excitement and joy on his journey back home. He remembers every town and every stop. Additionally, he admires the natural beauty that fills the scenery. In contrast to the “beauty of captivity” (320), he felt on campus, this felt like freedom. No doubt, that the narrator is more in touch with nature and his Native American roots than the white civilized culture. Nevertheless, as he gets closer to home he feels afraid of not being accepted, he says “… afraid of being looked on as a stranger by my own people” (323). He felt like he would have to prove himself all over again, only this time it was to his own people. The closer the narrator got to his home, the happier he was feeling. “Everything seems to say, “Be happy! You are home now—you are free” (323). Although he felt as though he had found his true identity, he questioned it once more on the way to the lodge. The narrator thought, “If I am white I will not believe that story; if I am Indian, I will know that there is an old woman under the ice” (323). The moment he believed, there was a woman under the ice; He realized he had found his true identity, it was Native American. At that moment nothing but that night mattered, “[he], try hard to forget school and white people, and be one of these—my people.” (323). He
In “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,” Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan mother from Lancaster, Massachusetts, recounts the invasion of her town by Indians in 1676 during “King Philip’s War,” when the Indians attempted to regain their tribal lands. She describes the period of time where she is held under captivity by the Indians, and the dire circumstances under which she lives. During these terrible weeks, Mary Rowlandson deals with the death of her youngest child, the absence of her Christian family and friends, the terrible conditions that she must survive, and her struggle to maintain her faith in God. She also learns how to cope with the Indians amongst whom she lives, which causes her attitude towards them to undergo several changes. At first, she is utterly appalled by their lifestyle and actions, but as time passes she grows dependent upon them, and by the end of her captivity, she almost admires their ability to survive the harshest times with a very minimal amount of possessions and resources. Despite her growing awe of the Indian lifestyle, her attitude towards them always maintains a view that they are the “enemy.”
The colonization of civilizations has changed the world’s history forever. From the French, Spaniard, and down to the English, have changed cultures, traditions, religions, and livelihoods of other societies. The Native Americans, for example, were one of the many civilizations that were conquered by the English. The result was their ways of life based on nature changed into the more “civilized” ways of the colonists of the English people. Many Native Americans have lost their old ways and were pulled into the new “civilized” ways. Today only a small amount of Native American nations or tribes exist in remote areas surviving following their traditions. In the book Ceremony, a story of a man named Tayo, did not know himself and the world around him but in the end found out and opened his eyes to the truth. However the Ceremony’s main message is related not only to one man but also to everything and everyone in the world. It is a book with the message that the realization of oneself will open the eyes to see what is truth and false which will consequently turn to freedom.