The Way of an Indian by Frederic Remington (review)

Reviews 303 The Way of an Indian. By Frederic Remington. (Wilmington, Delaware: Memento Publications, Inc., 1976. 254 pages, $17.76.) This publication is a facsimile reproduction of the 1906 edition and was Remington’s second and last novel. It is an unusual work in that it was told from an Indian point of view at a time when the popular image of the native was usually that of a villain or a barbarian. Perhaps that is why it did not sell as well as one might expect. It is a convincing book, however, because of the charm of the prose and the fourteen illustrations that the author included. Remington was an extraordinary man who won lasting recognition as a painter, sculptor, and author. He was an easterner who played football and boxed for Yale University before he journeyed west to work as a cowboy and scout. He lived with Indians and he fought against them. Eventually he returned to the East and became a successful illustrator for magazines and books. In this line of work he covered such events as the Sioux Ghost Dance of 1890 and the Spanish American War eight years later. Donald E. Worcester in his introduction, “The Frederick Remington Profile— 1976,” explains these and other events of the author’s life in a valuable opening section. The book itself is the story of a Cheyenne youth who grows to manhood and old age during the period from 1850 to 1880. It covers significant events of his early years, including a vision quest and a raiding party against an Indian village. In these situations the young Cheyenne proved himself courageous and worthy to be called a warrior. After he successfully com­ pleted these manhood rites, he went to Fort Laramie where he found a quiet Minataree girl whom he married. During these years the Cheyenne came in contact with whites and there are memorable battle scenes in which the Indians fought trappers on one occasion and soldiers at the Little Big Horn at another time. During his waning years the warrior fell on hard times, losing his loved ones in battle with the whites until he reached the point where he wished for his own death so that he might escape the hated “Yellow-Eyes.” Throughout the book the author developed the idea of oneness between the Indian and nature. It was an idyllic life that the natives led only to be spoiled by greedy whites with little regard for the Indian way of life. Although Remington’s novel is not great literature, when combined with his illustrations the book is very effective at presenting the Indian perspec­ tive on life. That few white westerners at the turn of the century could appreciate this view only demonstrates how unique Remington really was. The book also served as an effective forerunner to such works as La Farge’s Laughing Boy and Berger’sLittle Big Man. JOHN W. BAILEY, Carthage College ...