The Birch Bark Books of Simon Pokagon is a collection of articles and legends written for and about the Potawatomi tribe by Simon Pokagon. Originally printed on the bark of the white birch tree, a gesture made “out of loyalty to [Pokagon’s] own people, and gratitude to the Great Spirit, who […] provided for [their] use […] this most remarkable tree, ” these works paint a picture of America’s native people. “[On] behalf of my people, the American Indians, I hereby declare to you, the pale-faced race that has usurped our lands and homes, that we have no spirit to celebrate with you the great Columbian Fair now being held in this Chicago city, the wonder of the world. No; sooner would we hold high joy-day over the graves of our departed fathers, than to celebrate our own funeral, the discovery of America.” Before Chicago was one of the largest and most prosperous cities in the nation, it was home to the Anishinaabe peoples, including the Potawatomi to whom Simon Pokagon belonged. Angered with the erasure of his people and the whitewashing of the history of violence against America’s indigenous tribes, Pokagon gave this opening speech, “The Red Man’s Rebuke, ” at the World’s Columbia Exposition of 1893. A lifelong activist, Pokagon dissects the false narrative of savagery and civilization which justified the actions of European settlers while vilifying those they displaced in their movement westward. During the Exposition, Pokagon would speak to a crowd of 75, 000 on his hope for the future of his people. Including lesser known works, such as, “Algonquin Legends of South Haven, ” “Algonquin Legends of Paw Paw” and “The Pottawattomie Book of Genesis, ” this beautifully designed edition of Simon Pokagon’s work is a classic of Native American literature reimagined for modern readers.
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Simon Pokagon (1830-1899) was a Pokagon Potawatomi author and advocate. Born near Bertrand, Michigan Territory, he was the son of Potawatomi chief Leopold Pokagon. Educated at the University of Notre Dame and Oberlin College, he gained a reputation as an effective activist for the rights of indigenous peoples. Notably, he met with presidents Lincoln and Grant to petition for reparations from the government for violating the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, but was later accused of using his position to sell land to real estate speculators. Through his numerous articles, novels, stories, and poems, Pokagon became one of the first Native Americans to gain a national audience as a writer. In 1893, he was featured at the World’s Columbian Exposition, where he spoke to a crowd of 75, 000 on the dangers of alcoholism to Native Americans, citizenship, and unity. Pokagon’s novel Queen of the Woods (1899) remains a landmark work of Native American literature.
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