Synopses & Reviews
Simon Pokagon, the son of tribal patriarch Leopold Pokagon, was a talented writer, advocate for the Pokagon Potawatomi community, and tireless self-promoter.
In 1899, shorty after his death, Pokagon's novel Ogimawkwe Mitigwaki (Queen of the Woods)only the second ever published by an American Indianappeared. It was intended to be a testimonial to the traditions, stability, and continuity of the Potawatomi in a rapidly changing world. Read today, Queen of the Woods is evidence of the author's desire to mark the cultural, political, and social landscapes with a memorial to the past and a monument to a future that included the Pokagon Potawatomi as distinct and honored people.
This new edition offers a reprint of the original 1899 novel with the author's introduction to the language and culture of his people. In addition, new accompanying materials add context through a cultural biography, literary historical analysis, and linguistic considerations of the unusual text.
About the Author
Philip J. Deloria is Carroll Smith-Rosenberg Collegiate Professor in the Department of History and the Program in American Culture at the University of Michigan.
John N. Low (Pokagon Band Potawatomi) is a University of Michigan Ph.D. candidate currently completing his dissertation.
Margaret Noodin is Assistant Professor in the Department of English and the American Indian Studies program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Kiara M. Vigil is a University of Michigan Ph.D. candidate currently writing her dissertation.