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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

by John M. Oskison

Edited by Lionel Larre

Published by: Nebraska Paperback

Series: American Indian Lives

680 Pages, French flaps

Paperback
9780803237926
Published: June 2012

$70.00

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eBook (PDF)
9780803240391
Published: June 2012

$70.00

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Description
AUTHOR BIO
Praise
TABLE OF CONTENTS

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 This first comprehensive collection of Oskison’s unpublished autobiography, short stories, autobiographical essays, and essays about life in Indian Territory at the turn of the twentieth century fills a significant void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.

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.

"Oskison cuts an unorthodox and compelling figure in this remarkable anthology."—Publishers Weekly

"For readers interested in regional histories and autobiographical sketches of life in Indian Territory, Oskison's writing doesn't disappoint."—Ellen Cushman, Wicazo SA

"Readers of this anthology will appreciate Larré's thoroughly written introduction and his masterful selection of John Milton Oskison's writings with their subtle insights into the rich, multicultural milieu that was Indian Territory, and into the complexity of American Indian affairs in the early twentieth century."—James Pate, Chronicles of Oklahoma

Acknowledgments
Introduction

Part 1. Autobiography

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

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

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

An Autobiographical Letter to Journalist Frederick S. Barde

Part 2. Fiction

I Match You: You Match Me

Tookh Steh's Mistake

A Schoolmaster's Dissipation

Only the Master Shall Praise

When the Grass Grew Long