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White Savage: The Case of John Dunn Hunter
An investigation into the controversy surrounding Hunter, a 19th century white man who claimed to have been raised in captivity by the Osage Indians and who fought to save the American Indians from genocide until he was murdered in 1827. His autobiography, published in 1823, was first acclaimed, and later denounced as a fraud, but the research behind this book uncovers a different story and returns Hunter to his rightful place in history.
282 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1972
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 13, 2016
Drinnon researches John Dunn Hunter, exploring Hunter and his times and explaining why Hunter wasn't believed at the time. The research is excellent: Drinnon found practically every article or book discussing Hunter. Drinnon's edition of Hunter's Memoirs of a Captivity is also good.
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December 18, 2011I think this was the edition I read.
John Dunn Hunter was not a 'captive' in any sense. He was adopted by the Osage after his family were killed (by Kickapoo, he was given to understand). He lived among the Osage from a very early age (he was a toddler when he was adopted). Then he was 'ransomed' back by distant relatives in the Eastern US.
As with many such 'ransomed captives' he didn't want to leave his family to live with 'real' relatives he had no memory of. But he adapted to the transition better than most, and managed to act as an interpreter of Osage society at a fairly early period (He died in 1827).
Hunter was a fairly good writer, and would not have accepted the term 'savage' to describe either himself or his people, even in the earlier, more neutral sense, which just meant 'woods-dweller'. The Osage were largely a Plains people, at the time, though they did live in some wooded parts of Missouri.
It would be interesting to compare Hunter's descriptions of community layouts, customs, etc with other historical, ethnological, and archaeological sources.
The main thing Hunter is remembered for even now is the description of the 'Osage Orange', a tree that was little known to Europeans at the time, but that, according to Hunter, provided very good sustenance to the Osage, in a variety of ways.
John Dunn Hunter was not a 'captive' in any sense. He was adopted by the Osage after his family were killed (by Kickapoo, he was given to understand). He lived among the Osage from a very early age (he was a toddler when he was adopted). Then he was 'ransomed' back by distant relatives in the Eastern US.
As with many such 'ransomed captives' he didn't want to leave his family to live with 'real' relatives he had no memory of. But he adapted to the transition better than most, and managed to act as an interpreter of Osage society at a fairly early period (He died in 1827).
Hunter was a fairly good writer, and would not have accepted the term 'savage' to describe either himself or his people, even in the earlier, more neutral sense, which just meant 'woods-dweller'. The Osage were largely a Plains people, at the time, though they did live in some wooded parts of Missouri.
It would be interesting to compare Hunter's descriptions of community layouts, customs, etc with other historical, ethnological, and archaeological sources.
The main thing Hunter is remembered for even now is the description of the 'Osage Orange', a tree that was little known to Europeans at the time, but that, according to Hunter, provided very good sustenance to the Osage, in a variety of ways.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews