Mourning Dove
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| Courtesy Washington State University Library (Lucullus V. McWhorter Collection) |
It would be hard to understand the
significance of Mourning Dove’s work without knowing about the social climate
of the world she existed in. Considered to be the first Native American woman
to become a published author Mourning Dove was born Christal Quintasket in
1884, less than 10 years after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and about 6
years before the Wounded Knee Massacre. From birth Mourning Dove existed in a
society that posed a very real threat to herself, and her culture. Subsequently
Mourning Dove would go on spend her life fighting against her oppressors. According to lore, Mourning
Dove’s mother went into labor while in travelling a canoe across Idaho’s
Kootenai River, giving birth to Mourning Dove halfway across the river.
Although this story’s validity has been challenged with other sources saying
her birthplace was in Boyds, Washington, and not in northern Idaho. Whether the
story is true or not, being born in the struggle of a river currant would be a
very fitting start the life Mourning Dove would go on to live.
Her mother was Lucy Stuikin, was the daughter of a Sinixt Chief named
Seewhelken. Mourning Dove’s father Joseph Quintasket was of Irish, and
Okanagan heritage. This means Mourning Dove like her father was mixed race, this fact
about her was something she took to heart. Her first novel that she published
in 1927 was called “Cogewea, the
Half-Blood” about a young mixed-race native woman growing up, and
struggling to find her place in both native, and white culture. It is a work of
fiction, but there is no doubting that the problems the main character Cogewea
encounters in this book, are reminiscent of situations Mourning Dove
encountered in her life. Throughout the 1800’s the United States federal
government began federal
policies to help assimilate Native Americans into American culture.
Essentially attempting to erase Native American heritage by taking children
away from their families, and their tribes, and placing them in boarding
schools. This is happened to many native children, including Mourning Dove. In
1895 she was sent to the Goodwin Mission School of the Sacred Heart Convent in
Ward, Washington. At this school Mourning Dove experienced first-hand
punishment, and treatment designed to cause children to reject their heritage. She would
be punished for speaking her native language of Salish, and locked in stairwell
closets for misbehaving. Mourning Dove experienced abuse from authority
first hand, she became so ill that she had to return home just months into
attending the school. She would return on, and off for the next 4 years until
1899 when the federal government cut the funding that was being put toward
religious education for native children. She would continue her education at
the Fort Spokane School for Indians, which was nothing more than an old
military fort repurposed to be used as a school.
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| Mourning Dove's first novel "Cogewea, The Half-Blood" |
Mourning Dove’s home life began to
fall apart as well, in 1901 her mother died at the age of 30. Her father
remarried, and Mourning Dove became the caretaker for two younger sisters, and
brother. The siblings were eventually
separated. One sister was sent to live with their grandmother, while the other
sister was sent to live with an aunt in Washington state. Mourning Dove
arranged to work as a matron at Fort Shaw Indian School in exchange for a room,
and being able to attend classes at the school. It was at Fort Shaw that she
began to not only assimilate with white culture, but also helped other native
children assimilate. She began to sign her name Christine Haines, in effort to
dismiss her native heritage. She would eventually meet her first husband Hector
McLeod. Hector was also a mixed race Native American. They opened a stable to
rent out horses. Hector was an abusive alcoholic who eventually hospitalized
Mourning Dove. While she was in the hospital she learned that she was unable to
have children, it is unsure whether this was cause from her husband’s abuse, or
forced sterilization by a doctor, a
secret common practice that had been used unknowingly on Native American women
throughout a big portion of the 20th century. Scholars of
Mourning Dove look at her time as Christal Mcleod as the closest she ever came
to completely assimilating into white culture.
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| Courtesy Washington State University Library (Lucullus V. McWhorter Collection) |
It wasn’t long until Mourning Dove left Hector, and moved to Portland, Oregon.
She had her identity all but taken away by the society she existed in, and was
taught to reject her own heritage. Even worse she was sterilized in a genocidal
attempt to end her Native American blood line. She also found herself the victim of her
husband’s violence. Despite all of this, she was able to find her identity
again, and found a way to empower herself to become the prolific author, and
activist she would be remembered for. With her new-found independence, she
found herself embracing the culture she had grown so far from. She began
drumming, and singing in a traditional Native band. It was through this band
that she Lucullus Virgil McWhorter who eventually helped Mourning Dove get her
works published. It was through her works like “Cogewea, The Half-Blood” and
“Coyote Stories” that she was
able to expose Native culture to white readers in an attempt to destigmatize,
and break down prejudices that were held against Native Americans.
References:
1 - http://nativejewelrylit.com/native-writers-mourningdove.html
2 - https://www.learner.org/workshops/hslit/session2/aw/author2.html
3 - http://www.historylink.org/File/9512
4 – Mourning Dove: A Salishan Autobiography
5 - http://usdakotawar.org/history/newcomers-us-government-and-military/acts-policy
6 - http://cbhd.org/content/forced-sterilization-native-americans-late-twentieth-century-physician-cooperation-national-
The fact that Mourning Dove was forced to reject her culture because of a new race that forced their way into her land is truly awful, it makes me feel awful that we live on stolen land and forced the rightful owners to follow us. The hardships that Mourning Dove had to experience were awful and makes her achievements of writing a book even more impressive. Mourning Dove's story reminds me of Malala's story from I am Malala. They each had foreign people invade their land and force their ideals on them. Have you read the book that Mourning Dove wrote or any other of her books?
ReplyDelete-Tyler C
Hey Tyler,
DeleteWhile I was preparing to write this I read Cogewea, and another book of Mourning Dove's called "Coyote Stories".
Coyote Stories is an anthology of shorter stories, if you're looking to get a feel for Mourning Dove's writing but don't have the time to commit to a novel it's a great read.
Malala is an excellent modern activist to compare many of the women highlighted in this blog to. It's important to see that these issues aren't just something of a history lesson, but an ongoing problem in the world.
This was a wonderful woman that went through a lot of horrific events throughout her life time, but she never gave up what she believed in. She was abused by so many different people and in so many different ways but she didn't let that stop her from achieving her goals in life and striving above that. This reminded me a lot of the novel Lord Of The Flies, about a group of kids that had to learn how to survive on their own and went through struggles with almost every person they met. I do wonder though, what encouraged you to write about her?
ReplyDeleteHi Tiffany,
DeleteI have a passion for authors, and literature in general. I'd have to credit that as to what inspired me to write about Mourning Dove.
There are many authors I love such as Harper Lee, but I felt it was more important to shine some light on someone who was not already highly recognized. That was really what drove me to write about Mourning Dove.
Lord of the Flies is an interesting novel to look at. Because it's about human nature, and how easily people succumb to being brutal to each other, or mimic what they see else where (specifically in their case the adult world).
It's interesting to look at that then look at Mourning Dove, and how the cycle of brutality effected her. That she didn't participate in the reciprocating it, but instead carved a path for herself.
My first impression was that Mourning Dove has lived a dreadful life that began when she was born and even after her marriage. But after reading the last lines, I realized how strong of a character she had become because of her struggles throughout her journey, as she is now an amazing author and activist to break down the prejudice in the world that is felt towards Native Americans. Her story makes me think of Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. While he does not live the same life as Mourning Dove, Atticus was exposed to the same unjust prejudice in his town, and so he fought to destroy those influences in society by introducing his beliefs of social equality. How was Mourning Dove able to find her identity and empower herself to write about her struggles against prejudice?
ReplyDeleteHi Jacqueline,
DeleteI think when you look at authors that write about civil rights, and social issues you'll find that they use their voice as a tool for their defiance. For many of them their voice becomes their most powerful tool.
There was an Algerian poet, and author named Tahar Djaout who also wrote out of protest, and he has a pretty powerful quote about speaking up, and fighting for what you believe in.
He wrote: "Silence is death. If you speak, you die. If you are silent, you die. So speak, and die."
While that is really heavy, I think something like that thought was at one point what authors such as Mourning Dove, or Harper Lee had realized, and what ultimately what drove them to write such powerful words.
It's interesting you bring up To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee's novel might not be an exact memoir, but it is heavily based off of her childhood, and life experiences much like Mourning Dove's Cogewea. So it's a pretty great parallel, although they deal with different issues.
I absolutely love how Mourning Dove reconnects with her culture in the end. However, I don't understand how something could be so important that it becomes okay to pry a child from their home and mistreat them. My cousin recently moved to a reservation in Upstate New York where her Father lived. I think that maybe if things like this hadn't happened she would have been able to grow up surrounded by her father's culture. In the book "To kill a Mockingbird," the main character is forced into becoming a lady, which is not somethings she wants to do. No one has the right to force someone else into leaving behind what makes them happy. What was special about Mourning Dove to you that made you choose her as a subject to write about?
ReplyDeleteHey Kailey,
DeleteYou're absolutely right, it is never okay to force someone to assimilate to what are considered societal norms. The treatment of Native Americans in post-colonial America has been nothing short of shameful. That's really a shame your cousin didn't get to grow up surrounded by her culture, on the bright side if Mourning Dove proved anything it's that it's never too late to embrace your heritage, no matter how far away from it you go. I hope your cousin learns a lot about herself, and where she comes from.
I chose to write about Mourning Dove simply because we don't talk a lot about Native Americans when it comes to art. I honestly can't remember the last time I saw a Native American actor. I can count Native American bands I know of on one hand. It's almost as if there is this culture that is full of unique voices that has been hidden, and I think it's pretty important to explore that.
The parallel you drew between Mourning Dove being forced to be more westernized, and Scout being forced to be more "ladylike" is pretty great. Mourning Dove eventually embraced everything she was taught to reject. Where Scout despite everything she was told about being a lady, she still remained true to herself in the end.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteReading about the extreme efforts to sensor and eliminate Native American culture truly saddens me, especially since I am so out of touch with my own Native American heritage today. The forced sterilization doctors imposed on women to end the Native American race really highlights the prejudices they faced, and continue to face. It is horrible and enrages me that in the land that is rightfully theirs' Native Americans face so much discrimination. In the Greek Tragedy "Antigone", Antigone is incredibly outspoken about her opinions and defends what she believes to be right, even when others do not. Like Antigone, Mourning Dove embraced her heritage when society told her not to, and publicized Native American culture through writing. Was it hard finding factual information about Mourning Dove, considering the limited information on individual Native Americans of this time period?
ReplyDelete-Natalia M
Hey Natalia,
DeleteI agree that the extreme measures taken to destroy Native American culture is sickening, and disgraceful. It's important to remember that some of these atrocities happened less than a hundred years ago, and on the a historical scale that is really not a long time at all.
If Mourning Dove showed us anything in her life it's that it is never too late to get in touch with your own heritage. I really hope you do take the time to learn more about it if you have the opportunity to do so, it's really an amazing thing to learn about where you come from.
Finding information on Mourning Dove was difficult at first, partly because most simple searches of her name brings you to information on a type of bird, but also because as you said it is very hard to find information on individuals from this time period, especially Native Americans. The links I put at the bottom of the post were basically the bulk of information that I could find.
Although the first link I gave seems to be a website about Native American artists, that was created, and kept up by Native Americans. Which is another interesting lesson, just because we don't hear about someone in our culture doesn't mean they're forgotten, or that people aren't talking about them. That's definitely one of the benefits of people who have interest in their heritage.
Amidst the prejudice and injustice set by European settlements, Mourning Dove was able to endure the unfortunate events that followed the attempts to exhaust Native American culture. As a Cambodian-American teen, I could understand the importance in the practice and maintenance of a culture. The hostility towards Native Americans resembles the story of Polyphemus, the cyclops in Odysseus. Odysseus and his men unintentionally wander into the cave of Polyphemus. After punishing the men by trapping them within the boundaries of his cave, the men devise a plan in attempts to achieve their united goal of escaping. They slowly wait for the right time and when it arrives, they initiate their well orchestrated plan. Although Mourning Dove was suppressed for a long while against forces much stronger than her, with time and patience, she was able to properly advocate for Native American freedoms.Why would her personal experience of facing Native American prejudices first hand, be a both good and a bad thing, in terms of her advocation for Native American privileges and culture? As she wasn’t far educated, how do you think acquiring the ability to read and write would change the degree of her influence?
ReplyDeleteHey Angelina,
DeleteIt feels wrong to say the things that happened to Mourning Dove are a good thing, and I don't know if I can truly say that, and mean it. So I won't. I will say that things that happen to people in their lives can become such a detrimental, and formative part of them that they're able to grow because of it. I think that is what we see with Mourning Dove.
Access to education has been a very talked about topic when it comes to pre-20th century female authors. A lot of people have asked that very same question about a lot of authors. If she was highly educated it certainly would have been a lot easier for her to compose a novel. She had to work with Lucullus McWhorter, who not only helped her get published but also edited her writing to make sure it made sense. Certainly that process wouldn't have been needed if Mourning Dove had access to better education.
I believe that it is her experience that makes her voice unique, it doesn't justify any of it but she didn't let that any of that stop her from speaking out against the systems of power that were responsible.
The story of Mourning Dove is similar to those of many Native Americans whose heritages were nearly erased in the United States' Eurocentric and xenophobic actions. I appreciated the description of relevant context, as well as details of the practices at assimilation schools and attempted genocide; they painted a holistic and saddeningly accurate picture of the situation. Other racial tensions in the history of the United States are evident in To Kill a Mockingbird. Lawyer Atticus Finch attempts to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, against all odds, facing harsh criticism. Nevertheless, Atticus's bold and courageous actions profoundly influence the collective attitude of the town, introducing more egalitarian ideals in his county. It is fascinating to examine the past through contemporary lenses. Harpee Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. Her portrayal of Atticus make him an inspiringly progressive man to today's readers. Similarly, the actions of Mourning Dove make her a monumental figure in promoting acceptance and kindness toward Native Americans. What made you want to write about Mourning Dove? Also, I can relate to her identity struggles as she sought to both cling onto her culture while belonging in the United States. How did Mourning Dove console other young natives about their heritages? In a more general context, what is right and wrong when it comes to embracing and erasing culture?
ReplyDeleteHey Katherine,
DeleteI wanted to write about Mourning Dove because I thought it would be interesting to shed light on someone who is almost an unknown. Sadly not much attention is given to Native American artists, I think there are a lot unique perspectives that haven't been heard. I wanted to explore deeper into that. I love literature, I love authors like Harper Lee, so I was certainly more drawn to write about an author. However, I had no idea just how fascinating, and tragic her life really was.
It was really hard to find any first hand accounts of her, I am not entirely sure about her role when it came to Native American youths. I do know she regularly played music for native festivals even after she wrote her first novel, and that she did remain active in her community. What I gather is that at that point in her life Mourning Dove didn't see the need for consolation about heritage, it was more about pride, and celebration.
Your third question is a pretty interesting one. I've been thinking that one for a bit.
Are you referring to an individual trying to embrace or erase their own culture? Or is this question about an outside system of power embracing or erasing culture?
That's an admirable reason for writing about Mourning Dove. I would probably never have known about her and her accomplishements if it weren't for this article, which is unfortunate, because I agree that there are deserving voices that haven't been heard. As for my question, I think it would be interesting to look at it from multiple levels, and perhaps how the outside systems affect individual behaviors.
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