The Fillies are thrilled to have Angela Archer aka London James come to talk about the incredible hidden gems in history. She has a giveaway as well.
Imagine being yanked from the comfort of your home (or, in most cases, your wagon) and thrust into an unfamiliar world where you don’t speak the language, understand the customs, or recognize the faces around you. It’s the stuff of novels, and yet, it was the reality that a lot of women faced when Native American tribes captured them.
I first stumbled upon these captivating tales while researching for my book, “A Terrible Glory,” which delves into the fascinating history of the Battle of Little Bighorn. The more I learned, the more I realized that these women’s stories were not just an essential part of history but also a testament to the incredible strength of the human spirit. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading about them; they were like hidden gems waiting to be unearthed, revealing their hardships, incredible strength, and resilience.
In the late 1800s, Native American tribes captured European and Euro-American women for various reasons – revenge, warfare, alliances, and even survival. These women, who were forcibly taken from their homes, faced unimaginable hardships. Yet, amidst the struggles, they had a spirit that defied even my imagination. Many of these women were adopted into the tribes that had captured them. They were given new names and began to assimilate into the tribe’s way of life, learning the language, traditions, and skills of the tribe.
Take the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, for instance. Captured by the Comanche tribe in Texas in 1836, she eventually became an integral part of the tribe. She married a Comanche chief and raised a family. Like many others, her transformation shows the incredible journey these women embarked upon during their captivity.
I won’t deny that many women didn’t have the same outcome. There were cases of abuse and murder, the dark side to the light side, just as with everything in history. But for some, the initial trauma of capture gave way to a period of learning and adaptation. Most of the women even brought their own skills with them, such as farming, cooking, and homemaking, to their captor’s communities, and, in return, they absorbed valuable survival skills and gained a profound understanding of Native American customs.
Olive Oatman’s story stands out as an example. Captured by the Yavapai tribe in Arizona in the 1850s, she was eventually adopted by the Mojave tribe. During her time with the Mojave, she learned how to adapt to the harsh desert environment and even embraced traditional tattooing as a part of her identity.
When some captives were eventually released or rescued, they faced the arduous task of reintegrating into society. The transition was far from smooth, as they had become deeply assimilated into their captor’s culture. Their own communities often viewed them with suspicion, fearing they had become too “Indian.”
Sarah Wakefield’s story is a testament to this struggle. Captured during the Dakota War of 1862, she defended the Dakota people during the trials that followed. Her actions led to accusations of treason and hostility from some in her own community.
And then there’s Mary Jemison, the famous author who was taken captive by the Seneca tribe during the French and Indian War. She chose to live the rest of her life as a Seneca woman and became known as “The White Woman of the Genesee.” Her story reflects the profound transformation captivity could have on one’s sense of self and belonging.
These women’s stories, so rich in detail and emotion, represent a complex and often overlooked chapter in American history. Not to mention, they challenge our preconceived notions about Native American-European relations.
In the end, they were remarkable survivors and often lived in two worlds, and their lives remind us of the resilience and the capacity for cultural exchange and understanding, even in the most challenging circumstances.
Question time! What part of the Native American history/culture interests you the most?
Leave a comment, and you might win an e-book copy of A Terrible Glory!
BOOK BLURB:
“It is observed that in any great endeavor, it is not enough for a person to depend solely on himself.” ~ Lakota Proverb
They called it a terrible glory and the last great battle for the American West. While the battle of the Little Bighorn was the last stand by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer against the Lakota tribes, to Lily Sinclair, it was the last stand between her old life and her new beginning.
After her in-laws squander away the family fortune, Lily and her husband, Alfred, head west to the mountains of Montana, the only land available to poor people and far away from the debts haunting them. When a band of Cherokee warriors attacks their wagon train along the way, they kill her husband and take her captive, selling her to a Lakota tribe for the price of several horses.
Widowed Lakota warrior Tahatan has vowed never to take another bride after his wife’s death. However, he soon finds himself forced into a marriage with the outspoken, yellow-haired Yankee who challenges every thought in his head.
With Custer’s sights set on the hidden gold in the depths of the Black Hills, the Colonel begins his warpath on the tribe villages. Can Lily overcome the demons of her past and defend Tahatan and his people? Or will she betray them all for the actions against her dead husband?
This book was previously published with the title: “Through the Eyes of a Captive”. When I first started writing under Angela Christina Archer, I thought I would write Historical Romance forever. I have since changed genres, and with this change, my Historical Romance titles now bear the name London James and are predominantly Clean & Wholesome, often graced with light Christian elements. “Through the Eyes of a Captive” has been re-envisioned under this lens and has been revised and edited. *****THAT SAID, I HAVE TO ISSUE A WORD OF CAUTION: this work delves deeper and darker than typical London James titles. Centered on the Battle of Little Bighorn, it paints a realistic, sometimes stark picture of hardships, fights over land, and war, including its toll on children. Despite its serious themes, there’s no profanity or explicit content.
Social Links:
Amazon Author Page for London James
Amazon Author Page for Angela Christina Archer
Goodreads: Angela Christina Archer
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I am very intrigued by how some of the women adapted to the ways of the Native American tribe who kidnapped them. I can’t imagine anyone in today’s society being taken from what they are used to and being thrown into a totally different culture would fare as well. Thank you for the history lesson. It was very informational.
I can’t imagine being taken away from everything either. And yes, thrown into something you don’t know. Thank you for stopping by!!
There are many aspects of the Native American culture that I admire. They valued the land and did not waste meat or fruits of their harvest. Their celebrations that I have read about were amazing. They valued family. Their hardships and suffering give pause to their way of life.
Thank you for coming to Petticoats in Pistols today. I enjoyed reading your information very much. Happy Thanksgiving.
Thank you for stopping by!! And you’re right, they valued the land. I was able to learn a lot of their celebrations too. So interesting.
I am interested in how anyone survived when there were no modern conveniences and disease ran rampant with no medicine.
Right? I can’t imagine living back then. At the same time, sometimes I wonder about living in this day and age too. LOL.
Howdy Angela! Welcome! I have read a few of your books under London James and enjoyed them! I think it was the Oregon Trails. I have read a few books about women captives. Wish I could remember the one and who wrote it, but it was based on a true story. Those women persevered for sure! I’ve mentioned this a few times….just this week! LOL But, my great great grandmother Lanier was full blooded Cherokee. I’m sure she had a story to tell from her prospective and maybe some from those women who were captured. Wish I knew more about her!
I’m going to try and find that book I read years ago. And I am most interested in your new release! Sounds like a very good story! Best wishes to you!
I found it!
https://www.amazon.com/Follow-River-James-Alexander-Thom-ebook/dp/B003XT60JK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1700233682&sr=1-1
It was a very good story. I thought it had “river” in it. Took me a while to find it! And I just purchased your book! Can’t wait to read it! I’m a Kindle Unlimited reader. You may give it to another if my name is drawn!
OOOH! Thank you for the book recommendation!! I’m off to check it out. And thank you! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂 Is there another relative you can talk to and learn about her? I always loved hearing stories from my grandmothers. Unfortunately, I’m sure they passed on before they could tell me everything.
I’ve been to the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina, and that’s where I first learned of the Code Talkers–it wasn’t taught in school.
It wasn’t just Navajo used during the World Wars, there were several Indigenous languages used for different reasons, and Cherokee was one of them.
I recently came across research of the Code Talkers and found it so fascinating! I wonder if there are any documentaries on it. Hmm . . .
My thinking has a great deal of empathy for the Indian. They were shoved from one area to another because the whites of that time were after the land which was rich in minerals, wildlife and other things they coveted. They had no thought for the Indian as they looked upon them as mere savages, not people. Yes, there were some very bad and murderous Indians, but we have the same within the white race as well. It is a matter of the pot calling the kettle black. To this day, I am sure there is still those who look down on the Indians as they do the black people. GOD created man, each and every one, each various color. We are all GOD’s children with color putting up NO barriers. May GOD be praised.
Beautifully said! May God be praised!! Thank you for stopping by Judy!!
I find everything about the Native Americans lifestyle very interesting! This article was fascinating to read. I still remember the Thanksgiving that my aunt and uncle showed up for dinner with unexpected guests. An Indian family that had never celebrated Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun learning from their perspective of things.
Oh, I bet it was a lot of fun, and it’s probably something they still talk about too. Thank you for stopping by! I’m glad you found the article interesting!
All of it. I am 1/32 Cherokee. My mom had the papers. I especially was intrigued how the women worked and lived.
I have one Cherokee relative too. One of my great, great grandparents on my father’s side. I wish I had her roll number, but I don’t. No one in the family does. Thank you for stopping by.
I’m always intrigued by how the Native Americans lived and how they adjusted as people kept pushing them further and further west.
Hi Megan! Thank you for stopping by!
Welcome to P&P. I enjoy reading Native American history & all the books authors have written. Your book, sounds like a book I need to put on my TBR list. The captives, women or men; did deal with a lot to survive.
What it would have been like to live through that, I can’t imagen. Have a blessed Thanksgiving with your family & friends…
I can’t imagine either. If you do decide to give the book a chance, I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for stopping by. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and friends!!
It is always interesting to see such stories. There is some genetic evidence that Indian women were wives in Iceland. Mitochondrial DNA from the female lines in skeletal finds. Of course, the Vinland sagas are well known, but the archeological finds in North America are proven. Dendochronology dates to 1001 AD.
I enjoy learning about how the Native Americans and the white settlers interacted with each other. I’ve read many books and documents regarding this, and love seeing new perspectives on the subject. I especially appreciate your descriptions of how women were treated by both the Native Americans and the white men. Sometimes it was good, but often it was bad. Not a lot has changed in that respect. I hope for the day when we can all just get along and learn from each other… not just in the USA but all over the world.
We have explored many aspects of native culture and the interaction between native tribes and the anglo world. Our daughter was a fancy shawl dancer for a few years. Studying for that and competing in powwows taught much about the culture. From putting her regalia together, to the politics of some powwows, to the rules guiding interaction between the sexes, it was a wonderful learning experience. (There is a possibility of a native ancestor back in the 1600’s but no way to really verify it because of sparse records of the time.). Mary Jemison’s story was one I read many, many years ago. It happened near where I grew up. The difficulty of her adjustment as a child and eventual integration into the tribe and culture made an impression. The difference between tribes and even within tribes in treatment the of captives is interesting. We have visited many historic Native American sites , mostly in the West (including Little Big Horn – most impressive and well done), and attended powwows all over the country. The annual one at the Rosebud Reservation was impressive. They even called my husband down to participate in the veterans’ dance. The honor and respect for their warriors is still evident today. I could go on much longer about some of the historic places and things we have explored and the issues within current native populations mostly due to Government and anglo cultural impact.
I am sure A Terrible Glory will be an interesting read.
I think its sad because of the way Indians were treated by the white men. We went in a pushed them out of there homes and land.
I find every facet of Native American history fascinating. My grandfather John Birt swore that we had Native American blood and I always loved that. Years after I started writing western historical romance, I began researching my genealogy. My main aim was to learn who the parents of my great-grandfather Ancil Birt were. I spent almost twenty years on this search and still have no answer. But I did have my DNA done and it says I have no Native American blood. I found it disappointing but not too surprising by that time. Someday I’ll hire a professional to see if she/he can answer the question that drove me for so many years. I love genealogy. It’s like solving lots of little mysteries. It’s also educational and I love learning.
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