One of the points that our author makes more than once is
that people, upon learning that someone is of American Indian heritage, very
frequently ask what them what percentage of Indian blood they have.
His opinion is that this is, or should be
considered a racial slur.
He makes the
point that if you asked the same question of a Black person; asking what
percentage of actual African blood they have as opposed to “white blood” that
they would be justifiably outraged.
There are several distinctions being ignored here, not the least of
which is the fact that many American Indians proudly claim their heritage in
this way, stating that they are, for instance, one-quarter Cherokee or
Kiowa.
Having grown up in Oklahoma and
the Texas panhandle - unlike the author - I have a different perspective on
this.
The point is still well taken,
however, and perhaps such a question should be asked with caution.
The segment on his first visit to Pawhuska and the scene of
the alleged suicide is particularly well conveyed. The description of the house and the specific
site in the back yard where the body was discovered lets us almost forget we’re
not reading a work of fiction. We feel
the creepy feelings that he felt at that moment and can vividly see the
dilapidated state of the old house. He
even envisions for us the events as they might have occurred, as if we’re
watching a play acted out by ghosts.
This is a very compelling segment of the text, helping to mitigate the
drier segment to come.
The description and quoting of some of Kate’s writings about
the Osages in her red velvet book have entertaining qualities as well. (Another co-author opportunity missed?) Her reference to the white man’s books as
“Talking Leaves” as opposed to the oral tradition of passing family stories
down the generations via the “Story Teller” is the kind of detail we might like
to see more of. There is, however, a
fine balance taking place here between the main purpose of the book and the
relevant side issues that add so much interest.
Just to get more perspective on the geography of the story,
I looked up Osage county on Mapquest.com to find where the main cities
mentioned were actually located.
Pawhuska, Hominy and Fairfax are still prominent towns in the
region. Foraker is just a handful of
intersecting streets and Bigheart is, apparently, a literal spot in the road! There’s a dot on the road with the name
“Bigheart” next to it, but not a single building on the spot.
Eventually the “history lesson” kicks in and the
details begin to flow; the result of a lot of meticulous research into the
“whys” and “wherefores” of the exploitation of the Osage tribe and their
incredible newfound oil wealth. In a
book like this, the dry play-by-play of the sequence of events is inevitable,
even necessary. McAuliffe shows
compassionate restraint towards those of us who aren’t history buffs, however,
and keeps it fairly short. And
throughout this section, there is the underlying tension and drama of the
age-old story of human greed and treachery towards our fellow man. It’s sickening on several levels, but perhaps
we need to have our noses rubbed in this from time to time. We need to be reminded once again that” those
who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” And this is one scenario that we should all
hope is never seen again.
Next week's Segment: Conclusion.
March's book: Track of the Cat, by Nevada Barr!
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