A Pipe for February: A Novel (Volume 44) (American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series) - Hardcover

Red Corn, Charles H.

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9780806134543: A Pipe for February: A Novel (Volume 44) (American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0806134542 ISBN 13: 9780806134543

Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press, 2002

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At the turn of the twentieth century, the Osage Indians owned Oklahoma’s most valuable oil reserves and became members of the world’s first wealthy oil population. Osage children and grandchildren continued to respect the old customs and ways, but now they also had lives of leisure: purchasing large homes, expensive cars, eating in fancy restaurants, and traveling to faraway places. In the 1920s, they also found themselves immersed in a series of murders. Charles H. Red Corn sets A Pipe for February against this turbulent, exhilarating background.

Tracing the experiences of John Grayeagle, the story’s main character, Red Corn describes the Osage murders from the perspective of a traditional Osage. Other books on the notorious crimes have focused on the greed of government officials and businessmen to increase their oil wealth. Red Corn focuses on the character of the Osage people, drawing on his own experiences and insights as a member of the Osage Tribe.

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About the Author:

Charles H. Red Corn (1936–2017) was an independent writer living in Norman, Oklahoma. He is a member of the Tzi-zhu-wash-ta-ghi Clan (Peace Clan) of the Osage Tribe.

From Publishers Weekly:

Red Corn bases his debut novel on a real-life series of murders that plagued the Osage Indians in the 1920s. The Osage of Oklahoma had been extraordinarily wealthy since the turn of the century, when it was discovered that their land held vast oil reserves. Now, they try to "live in both the past and the future," enjoying the big cars, fancy homes, European clothes and foreign travel bought with the money from the leased oil wells while nominally retaining many of the old traditions. All this is threatened by a rash of strange, "accidental" deaths. Protagonist John Grayeagle observes the emotional toll of these deaths on the tribe; as the victims receive full tribal funerals, elders warn that the so-called accidents are really murders by resentful whites, and will not stop until the Osage fight back instead of assimilating. When John's grandfather dies, John becomes certain that his close friend, Molly, is next on the hit list. He teams up with Tom, a patriotic WWI vet who grew up with John's family, to find the killers. While the culprits are the predictable lot of greedy whites seeking to profit from the oil-rich land, the story is an enthralling one with some taut, slam-bang action. Yet it's Red Corn's loving descriptions of Osage customs and the moral dilemmas posed by their sudden wealth that make this book a particularly rewarding read.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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