Real Native Genius

How an Ex-Slave and a White Mormon Became Famous Indians

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Native American Studies, African-American Studies, History, Americas, United States, 19th Century
Cover of the book Real Native Genius by Angela Pulley Hudson, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Angela Pulley Hudson ISBN: 9781469624440
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: July 16, 2015
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Angela Pulley Hudson
ISBN: 9781469624440
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: July 16, 2015
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

In the mid-1840s, Warner McCary, an ex-slave from Mississippi, claimed a new identity for himself, traveling around the nation as Choctaw performer "Okah Tubbee." He soon married Lucy Stanton, a divorced white Mormon woman from New York, who likewise claimed to be an Indian and used the name "Laah Ceil." Together, they embarked on an astounding, sometimes scandalous journey across the United States and Canada, performing as American Indians for sectarian worshippers, theater audiences, and patent medicine seekers. Along the way, they used widespread notions of "Indianness" to disguise their backgrounds, justify their marriage, and make a living. In doing so, they reflected and shaped popular ideas about what it meant to be an American Indian in the mid-nineteenth century.

Weaving together histories of slavery, Mormonism, popular culture, and American medicine, Angela Pulley Hudson offers a fascinating tale of ingenuity, imposture, and identity. While illuminating the complex relationship between race, religion, and gender in nineteenth-century North America, Hudson reveals how the idea of the "Indian" influenced many of the era's social movements. Through the remarkable lives of Tubbee and Ceil, Hudson uncovers both the complex and fluid nature of antebellum identities and the place of "Indianness" at the very heart of American culture.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the mid-1840s, Warner McCary, an ex-slave from Mississippi, claimed a new identity for himself, traveling around the nation as Choctaw performer "Okah Tubbee." He soon married Lucy Stanton, a divorced white Mormon woman from New York, who likewise claimed to be an Indian and used the name "Laah Ceil." Together, they embarked on an astounding, sometimes scandalous journey across the United States and Canada, performing as American Indians for sectarian worshippers, theater audiences, and patent medicine seekers. Along the way, they used widespread notions of "Indianness" to disguise their backgrounds, justify their marriage, and make a living. In doing so, they reflected and shaped popular ideas about what it meant to be an American Indian in the mid-nineteenth century.

Weaving together histories of slavery, Mormonism, popular culture, and American medicine, Angela Pulley Hudson offers a fascinating tale of ingenuity, imposture, and identity. While illuminating the complex relationship between race, religion, and gender in nineteenth-century North America, Hudson reveals how the idea of the "Indian" influenced many of the era's social movements. Through the remarkable lives of Tubbee and Ceil, Hudson uncovers both the complex and fluid nature of antebellum identities and the place of "Indianness" at the very heart of American culture.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book Transpacific Field of Dreams by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book Lost and Found in Translation by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book Writing Indian Nations by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book Chiasmus in the New Testament by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book The Color of Work by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book Jane Grey Swisshelm by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book Lillian Wald by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book One of Lee's Best Men by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book By the Bomb's Early Light by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book America's Communal Utopias by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book Ducktown Smoke by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book Racism in the Nation's Service by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book This Grand Experiment by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book Time Full of Trial by Angela Pulley Hudson
Cover of the book Infectious Fear by Angela Pulley Hudson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy