Fierce Women in/of History: Native American

Mourning Dove

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.

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 20^th century. Scholars of Mourning Dove look at her time as Christal Mcleod as the closest she ever came to completely assimilating into white culture.

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.