John Milton Oskison Timothy B. Powell Melinda Smith Mullikin
"A rediscovered novel portrays Cherokees in transition"
John Milton Oskison was a mixed-blood Cherokee known for his writing and his activism on behalf of Indian causes. "The Singing Bird," never before published, is quite possibly the first historical novel written by a Cherokee.
Set in the 1840s and 50s, when conflict erupted between the Eastern and Western Cherokees after their removal to Indian Territory, "The Singing Bird" relates the adventures and tangled relationships of missionaries to the Cherokees, including the promiscuous, selfish Ellen, the Singing Bird of the title. The...
"A rediscovered novel portrays Cherokees in transition"
John Milton Oskison was a mixed-blood Cherokee known for his writing and his activism on ...
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...
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Indian Territory, which would eventually become the state of Oklahoma, was a multicultural space in which v...
