Two recent publications bring together a modest, yet significant treasure of Muscogee (Creek) narratives representing two distinct traditions within Native American literature. Alexander Posey’s Chinnubbie and the Owl, edited by Sivils, is a collection of three types of narrative as written by Posey: original stories based upon oral tradition, orations, and traditional narratives. Earnest Gouge’s Totkv Mocvse, New Fire, is a collection of oral narratives collected and written by Gouge for the ethnographer John Swanton.
The two collections stand in marked contrast to each other. Alexander Posey was the great poet laureate of the Muscogee (Creek) people in Indian Territory, later Oklahoma. His poetry and satirical writings captured the intense feelings and deeply rooted values of this people, one of many forcibly removed from their homelands in the nineteenth century. Earnest Gouge was a traditionalist deeply committed to maintaining the values of his parents. His texts, written originally in Muskogee (Creek) language, reflect his strong ties to his cultural heritage.
Posey was a man of two cultures. He was influenced by his mother, who was oriented toward the Creek traditional way of life. He was well acquainted with and respected the tradition bearers. Through the insistence of his father, Posey was sent to non-native schools. His writing and speaking skills emerged and were encouraged there. Not only did Posey write in standard English, but he also wrote in dialect reflecting the multi-cultural nature of the Muscogee Nation with the presence of freedmen.
Sivils has provided a concise introduction to the historical context of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. He attempts to provide understanding of the milieu in which Posey lived, which in turn influenced his literary works. The introduction also includes a review of tribal organization along with the struggles and politics of the removal from the hereditary lands in the American southeast. In addition, a biography of Alexander Posey, who was born in 1873 and died tragically in 1908, is provided.
Following Sivils’ introduction, the book is divided into three sections. The Stories section includes nine original works written between 1893 and 1903 and drawn from both worlds in which Posey lived. They are filled with political and cultural commentary. Foremost in many of the texts is Chinnubbie, a humorist/storyteller character drawn from oral tradition. The works were published first when Posey was still a student at Bacone Indian University. Also included in this section are the dialect stories that feature the actions of humans.
The next section of the book features five orations delivered by Posey. Public speaking was a skill widely respected and honored among the Southeastern tribes. In school, Posey honed his skills as a speaker. His speeches, which were widely published, focused on the rights of his people and Native Americans in general. The speeches included here date from his tenure as a student at Bacone Indian University, where he had already gained repute as an evocative speaker. Posey often emphasizes the need for tribal members to pursue a Western education, echoing the words of Opothelehayola, the important Muscogee leader in the mid-nineteenth century. His orations also reflected his intense respect for Native American leaders in general, such as Sequoyah.
The closing section offers nine traditional narratives. These stories and fables are retold in the voice of the educated Posey. The tales feature animals and nonhumans in supernatural situations.
Posey came from a mixed-blood family. Throughout his lifetime he carefully negotiated his respect for the history and traditions of his Creek mother and the values of his American father. Two strengths of this collection are the cultural, literary analysis of the works of Posey by Sivils and the actual texts, written in English. This slim volume is an excellent partner piece to the collection of Fus Fixico papers edited by Littlefield and Hunter in 1993.
Earnest Gouge, in contrast to Posey, was a traditionalist who was politically active in the Creek Nation. He ardently took part in organizations that protested the loss of hereditary lands, promoted the return of the Creek government, and encouraged intertribal cooperation between Southeastern tribes. He was a nephew of the respected leader, Opothelehayola. In his later years, Gouge worked with John Swanton, ethnographer with the Bureau of American Ethnology, who documented the tribes in the southeast. On his behest, Gouge wrote a collection of stories for Swanton in 1915 in the Muskogee language. These tales, however, were not used by Swanton in his publications. They are translated into English in this volume for the first time.
This valuable collection of twenty-nine tales is edited by Jack Martin along with Margaret Mauldin and Juanita McGirt, two native speakers of the Muskogee (Creek) language. The forward, by Craig Womack, provides a review of the literary milieu of the time of Gouge, including the influence of the works of Alexander Posey. Womack also provides a socio-cultural review of the second decade of the twentieth century when the collection was written. Martin’s introduction addresses several subjects—including Earnest Gouge and the narratives—and provides a phonemic equivalent for the Muskogee (Creek) texts.
Gouge’s narratives are presented both in English and in the original Muskogee (Creek). Each text is prefaced with a commentary. Themes found in the narratives include the ever-present trickster, Rabbit, and other animals imbued with human characteristics. Other tales explain the origins of elements appearing in nature. One of the latter tells why the opossum’s tail has no hair. The Posey collection edited by Sivils includes this humorous text. Unfortunately, this narrative does not appear in the Gouge collection so the two texts could be compared.
Photos by Jack Martin visually capture the landscape of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, now in eastern Oklahoma. In particular, the images of the summer brush arbors and the enigmatic Creek cemetery with grave houses are wonderful.
Jointly these volumes are a significant contribution in Native American literature for all who are interested in this topic. Sivils has done a service by gathering these scattered works written by Posey from such disparate sources as old Indian Territory newspapers and archives such as the Thomas Gilcrease Institute in Tulsa. Martin’s contribution in compiling this collection was to bring to light a valuable set of lengthy unpublished narratives in their original language with translations. The two books are excellent companions for Native American language and literature, anthropology, and history classes. They are also a valuable tool for Muskogee (Creek) language classes.
--------
[Review length: 1058 words • Review posted on September 5, 2006]