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For some strange reason after reading the editors introduction to the Narrative of Mrs. Mary Jemison, It reminded me of the beginning of the Titanic. I remember being a little girl watching one hundred year old Rose walk in to a salvage ship to tell her story, I thought it was so cool, having history come to life by having it told by someone who lived it. I didn't have grandparents going up, so I never got to experience sitting on a grandpa's lap telling me war story's or a grandma pitch my cheeks and talk about her old loves stories.
So when I started reading the introduction I was hooked.
Although it's hard to tell if what your hearing is really the truth, or if those who are getting the story told to are just interested for their own gain or to truly get the story out. In the Titanic the men who want to hear Rose's story are mainly interested in what happened to her blue diamond necklace, during the disaster.
It's true that many people use others for their own gain but in this narrative I believe Seaver was truly interested, for the story reads not like fiction but Fact.
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Niamias even chooses to return to the original narrative by Seaver because the ones after him may have been tweaked so she too, even being an American Women's History professor, had the best interest while retelling Mary's story.
The date was November 1823 when Mary was about 80 years old when she first met with Seaver to orally tell her story, which took over the course of three days.
Many of those who are reputable didn't want her to tell her story because they were embarrassed about what they did in the past, and her story documents in detail and fact all they things they did.
Had she not tell her story, no one would know the historical truth, which was told by Mary Jemison. Seaver says her hair was a "light chestnut brown" (page 56), which was told later it was actually blonde. Seavers story is modernized to what it is now by June Namias in 1992 after collecting more accurate information giving a more scholarly analysis.
This goes to show how we can't always believe everything we hear, for along with history's facts its also based off of peoples point of view. I found it vey interesting that Seavers notes have not survived and we do not know what questions he asked her. For after the story was published, it got a wide audience but first attracted historians and later even turned into many children's book versions. This narrative stands out among all captivity tales, not only because of how it shows how she reacted, interacted and survived her whole life under captivity. It is because of the interest and curiosity of others who have researched and changed and added to her story, that has given it so much more history and popularity.
June Namias the editor of Seavers Narrative was an American Women's History professor. Her editing of the story makes me think if she was truly editing it to give us the facts or to get her name out by editing a captivity story about a woman, given her occupation. I believe she had the best interest while editing her story, because she returned to the original narrative by Seaver. She did this because the one that fallowed his may have been tweaked. I think its easy for people to accuse others of using individuals for their own gain but when it comes down to this particular story I believe they were so interested in her story mainly for the incredible events that she has lived.
Mary was constantly living in fear after being taken from the Indians. She was only 15 and being split up from your parents and siblings must have been a scary thing for a young teenager. When she sees a scald of a red headed girl she right away knows it is her sisters, which led her to infer her parents were dead also. I can't image seeing your sisters scalp and continuing forward with these people. She could almost feel the approach of being butchered and scalped. When she would see a pile of wood burning she imagines being roasted. She feels this was because she saw it all. She saw men being burned alive and other being scalped right in front of her. She passed a Shawnee town where she saw a number of heads, arms, legs and many other body's parts of white people who had just been burnt. While the remaining parts were hanging on a pole and Mary says, " the whole appearances afforded a spectacle so shocking, that, even to this day, my blood almost curdles in my veins when I think of them!" Though Mary was lucky for she was a girl and they didn't harm women or children like they did the males. For males they had them " run the gauntlet" where villagers would form two lines and the captives would walk though and try to make it to the other side while the villagers would throw things at them and test their man-hood. It goes to show there is not just one captivity experience.
I can only imagine the fear and uncertainty that Mary felt after being taken from her family. Although she saw when she first arrived she was treated quite well for she was washed and dressed into Indian clothes. In town Seneca sisters were mourning with her, and then adopted her. Many times the practice of adoption happens to replace someone who is lost, like a killed boy in war or a child who's life was cut short by sickness. Mary was never treated less then the sisters, She even says, " I was ever considered and treated by them as a real sister, the same as though I had been born of their mother" (page 15). Mary was given the name Dickewamis; De-gi-wa-ne n's" meaning Two-voices-falling. Her sisters arranged her to be married to a Delaware, Mary went reluctantly on with it for she didn't dare to disobey their commands. I find this interesting because of how well she said they why would she feel she couldn't say no treated her.
Though times were different back then, and getting married off was natural. I know if I were to be married to a strange man I would run right then and there. But we come we find that Sheninjee, Mary's' husband, was actually a generous man. He was nice looking and very courageous in war. Mary goes on saying, " I loved him! -To me he was ever kind in sickness and always treated me with gentleness; in fact, he was an agreeable husband, and a comfortable companion." (Page 16) This made me question if she was really in love with him or only in love with him because she didn't know otherwise. Regardless if the love was real or not, Mary was lucky to be with a nice man. Many people are given the assumption that the Indians forced things upon captives, but in Mary's situation I was surprised to find how kind they were and I think if Mary truly objected to marrying they wouldn't of forced her.
Many times Mary justifies for the Indians, by saying whites were just as violent as them. So many people are interested in her story because it's so even handed and people were fascinated in the truth. People are fascinated in why she chose to stay, along with the culture and the women's role. No one has lived such an eventful life so the exotic elements really intrigue people. All interaction didn't happen at the end of a gun like we thought. The truth is there was much violence between the Indians and the Whites but at the same time there were nonviolence interactions, including intro marrying, and fur trade which were extremely beneficial. Also many people thought Indian women were treated like slaves but truthfully they were a high role in society and did a lot to contribute. I find this all so interesting and Mary found something liberating about the Indian culture too and that's why she chose to stay.
I can't help but relate Mary's story to Roses from the Titanic. Its similar in the fact they agree to meet with people decades after their life changing events to tell their story. They are both occupied by another individual, that could have supported them while telling their story or held them back from the truth, we do not know. They are also similar for they chose to leave the life they lived to be somewhere else. Although at first it was forced upon Mary, she agrees to stay. Rose chooses to leave her rich upper class lifestyle to be with a drifter and artist by the name of jack. Rose and Mary are around the same age when they make these decisions that are so surprising given their promised stable life if they were to stay with their original family. I find it so incredible that after only couple of years Mary's Aunt and uncle come find her in hopes to take her back with them that Mary decides to stay.
I could only imagine her aunt and uncles reaction to her decision. She was fifteen when she was taken so she got a good glimpse of what her life would be like if she were to leave with them, but the culture she is living now is were she belongs. Before this story I had so many false assumptions about Captivity and the Indian culture. I've learned that captives were put up for adoption, women weren't treated as slaves, and that all Indians weren't violent. I found it very interesting that there were just as many non-violent interactions between Whites and Indians then there were Violent. Though most of all I find it interesting how Mary continues to live a Seneca lifestyle through her habits of sitting on the floor rather than a bench, sleeping on skins without a bed stand and corresponding religion to the Seneca's. She truly was a White Indian. Its not that she was taken at a young age and doesn't know any better, Its safe to say that Mary is biologically one thing but culturally another.
The White Indian: Mary Jemison in Two Worlds. (2020, Jun 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/white-indian-mary-jemison-two-worlds-new-essay
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