John Joseph Mathews (1894–1979)

John Joseph Mathews was born on the Osage reservation and after receiving education at the University of Oklahoma and Oxford, England as well as serving in WW1 US Flyer service lived most of his life there. This is a story of transition based largely on the journals of Major Miles a Quaker who headed the government agency for a number of years. The early years in the book show the Osage people attempting to hold onto the old ways. It tells a little of their dances, mourning rituals, beliefs, and shows the pressure put upon them by the "civilized" citizens of the US as their ways are gradually encrouched upon and their youth tought the ways of greed and materialism and to look down upon the way of life and teachings of their elders. It goes through the boom years of the oil finds in the reservation and it's detrimental impact upon the Osage people.

The book brings to life the prairie, and stands of Blackjacks and the author is able to put the reader into the scene. It's a well written book that contrasts the simplistic beauty of what was with the petty harshness of the civilized world.… (more)

From the introduction by Priscilla Oaks:

“...(John Joseph Mathews) became part of the first wave of Native American authors of the '20' s and '30's working in the mainstream of American Literature and writing in English. A very few individuals had preceded Matthews and his contemporaries, John Milton Oskison (1874-1947) and D'Arcy McNickle (1904-1977) but these men were the forerunners who blended Indian themes and ideas with such a nonIndian form as the novel.” p vii (this book was published in 1933).

Born at the turn of the century, Chal was so named so he would be a 'challenge to his people'. He was a part-breed Osage, living on the Oklahoma reservation at a time when many changes were taking place.

As a child he loved galloping his horse across the prairie and lying on his back observing the wonders of nature around him.

But as he grew, he was troubled by what he saw as the lack of ambition in many of the tribal members. This became more pronounced as oil was discovered on the reservation, money became easy, and much of the culture changed.

Chal himself persisted in a university education and quit only to pursue flying in WWI, where he became a gifted pilot.

Both in the service and then when he was more returned to the reservation after the war, he fought to come to terms with the dual sides of his Indian and white natures.

I gained insight into both Osage thought and the internal dialogue when one is ashamed of one's culture and longing to be someone else.

I read this after reading author [[David Grann]] say this book was his inspiration for doing the research and then writing [Killers of the Flower Moon]. Sure enough, Mathews does mention both the corrupt doctor in town competing with the town whore to sell drugs as well as a few (very few!) murders over the oil 'head rights'. They are mentioned as part of the general corruption the oil money brought to the reservation and not in great detail.

Grann's research in taking this as a jumping off point and uncovering the extent of the murders is an interesting story in itself.

This book is recommended to those interested in Native American authors and native American life, and anyone who read and enjoyed [Killers of the Flower Moon].… (more)

Wah'Kon-Tah, the name for the Great Spirit in Osage. This book was written by a young man who was part Osage, from a journal kept by Major Laban J. Miles. Major Miles was an Agent on the reservation in the late 1800s and kept a journal of his thoughts and experiences. He was a respected man by the natives he served. A Quaker, he strove to understand the people of the Osage tribe and worried a great deal about how their path would interact with that of the white "savages" around them. He tried to prepare them for that eventuality, but ran out of time when oil was discovered on the land.

This book is beautifully written. The author's use of words plunks you out of your chair and places you in the middle of the blackjack oaks and prairie with all the sights, smells, sounds and feelings. It brings to light a tension filled moment in history. More than a dry history though, it is the portrait of a people and time.

This is a series of interactions with the Major and the Osage people. The author said of the Major, "He believed that if they were allowed to develop in their own way, and retain their admirable characteristics, that they might add brilliance which he felt surely would someday be America's." It brings to light a thought I have often had, what would our country be like if the people who arrived had looked upon the natives with respect and valued their culture, instead of with rapacity and disdain.… (more)