The Fus Fixico Letters

Alexander Posey (1873-1908) was the most accomplished Indian writer of his day and one of the most important in American history. A well-known lyric poet, journalist, and political humorist in the Creek Nation, his literary works excited admiration and envy beyond the Indian Territory and throughout the country. His most significant contribution to literature is the body of humorous articles now called The Fus Fixico Letters.

In 1902 in the Indian Journal, his newspaper, Posey introduced his most beloved persona, Fus Fixico (or, in English, “Heartless Bird”), an alleged conservative “Snake” Creek. Until Posey's death in 1908, Fixico retailed his conversations with his friends Hotgun and Toofpafka Micco, conveying their points of view about Indian politics, the prospects for an Indian state joining the Union, the irresponsibility of distant newspapers that reported on Indian events without stepping a foot from the road, and many other topics.

This collection is especially timely since very little is known or appreciated about American Indian literature prior to the 1960s. A labor of years, it has taken uncommon diligence to find and annotate the letters, some of which now exist in a single fragile copy of the Indian Journal. There are 72 letters in all.

Daniel Littlefield is the author of Alex Posey: Creek Poet, Journalist, and Humorist. He is the director of the American Native Press Archives.

Professor A. LaVonne Brown Ruoff's foreword is a tribute to Carol Hunter, long a champion of Posey's writings, began work on this project until her life was cut short in 1987.