The New York herald., 1922-06-25
Is the Indian Misrepresented in Literature :?

came the true man OF his people and
shows the splendid ceremonial of the
Mayas.
This book presents an accurate ac-
count of the relations between the
sexes. 1t is a mistake to assume
that the squaw was a downtrodden,
overworked victim of her mate. In
the old days the division of labor
was fairly equitable, but the white
mans civilization destroyed the ball
ance and lightened the task Of the
hunter, while it cast new burdens
on the housewife. Preoccupation
with romance between man an0
woman is very modern and dates
from the age of chivalry. Indians
were no more interested in love than
Homer or the writer's Of the Orient.
1t was not supposed to be the main
end of life. Too amorous a man
would have been despised by his
tribesmen, as Paris was by the Tro-
jams. P. E. Goddard's Slender Maid
ems of the Apache" and A. l.. Kroe-
ber's Earth Tongue, a Mohave,"
show the normal course of marital
happiness among the Indians. NJ. r.
Harrington's THE Thunder Power
of Rumbling Wings" is a story of
the Delaware Indians, which is bit
too sentimental, but perhaps that is
because the author deals with tribo
which has vanished. Wiki of the
Sheelmound People," hero described
by ". c. Nelson, risked his position
by startling nnovation-marriage
with damsel outside the tribe.
There was no double code of moral
ity and women had as much freedom
as men, but Alexander Goldenweis-
er's heroine, Hanging Flower, the
Iroquois,' felt that the misfortune
which clouded her last days was a
penalty for an early indiscretion.
1t is the aim of the book to present
the life of the red man before the
white man came, but Mr.. Nelson
makes Wiki see brakes ship sail
r. Swanton's Tokulki of Tulsa bears
a harquebus in the army of De Soto.
Some of the stories, however, deal
with the Indians adjustment to
white civilization. Frank G. Spech's
story I'm Montagnais Country" tells
how a brave thwarted the plan of his
rival to make the tribe drunk to gain
their trade. T. w. Waterman's "All
Is Trouble Along the klamath" tells
how the Yurok tribe was disrupted
when mission boy disregarded their
peculiar custom by which fines were
always paid for insulting language.
There are those who refuse to con-
slider the Indian as 100 per cent.
American, and T. B. Reeds account
of Cries for Salmon a Ten'a Wom-
an" describes the missionaries as
nagging the noble red man to make
him forsake innocent old customs.
In Mexico this bigotry is carried
even further, and in 1.-THE Chief
Singer of Tepecano" j. Alden Mason
tells of an Indian village which owns
one pair of pants which is worn by
any male who wishes to travel to
market, because the Government for
bids the old costume.
1t is impossible to touch upon all
the features of Indian life which this
book presents. In his introduction
A. L. Kroeber deplores the fact that
Indian humor has not been shown,
but the red man is rather Rabelai-
sian in his wit and folklore. Before
theA white man commercialized war
by buying scalps. Indian warfare was
essentially game, played with as
punctilious a chivalry as that Of
knights in tournament.
A map shows the location Of the
tribes whose customs G .e described.
and in the appendix there is an ac-
count of each tribe, with bibliograe
ply, but this information of a techni.
cal sort Is not obtruded and the
reader will wish there was more of
it. Each story has separate Illus
tration by G. Grant la Fargo, and
there are notes which explain the
OF the nicfuraS