University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Departmental Papers (Religious Studies) Department of Religious Studies 2007 Introduction to The Singing Bird: A Cherokee Novel Timothy B. Powell University of Pennsylvania,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/rs_papers Part of the Fiction Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Literature in English, North America Commons, Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Powell, Timothy B., "Introduction to The Singing Bird: A Cherokee Novel" (2007). Departmental Papers (Religious Studies). 20. https://repository.upenn.edu/rs_papers/20 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/rs_papers/20 For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Introduction to The Singing Bird: A Cherokee Novel Abstract 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 esternW 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 fictional characters mingle with such historical figures as Sequoyah and Sam Houston, embedding the novel in actual events. The Singing Bird is a vivid account of the Cherokees' genius for survival and celebrates Native American cultural complexity and revitalization. Jace Weaver is the author of Other Words: American Indian Literature, Law, and Culture and That the People Might Live: Native American Literatures and Native American Community.