Colonizers and Native Inhabitants in A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison by J.E. Saevers - Essay Example

?Analytical Essay on “A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison” by J.E. Saevers Introduction The narratives about relations between European nations and Native Americans are very interesting for the contemporaries. With respect to this kind of literature, it is possible to trace similarities and differences between the cultures and societies. A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison (1824) is an unusual story of a woman, who adapted to the way of life on Native Americans and remained living among them. This is a story about socio-cultural transformation of the way to the creation of culturally diverse society. This woman has a strong character, because in spite of her captivity, she managed to marry two men. She gave birth to eight children and it means that the woman was not afraid of challenges and difficulties of life. It is interesting to note the way this woman was able to reconstruct her life and life principles. It is a story about the necessity of assimilation, cultural transformations and adaptation of the interests and values of different communities in the name of common welfare. Thesis: it is claimed that the process of cultural assimilation and social adaptation in the nineteenth century blurred the limits between the Native American communities and European colonizers. Relations between Native Americans and European colonists There were many attempts in 19th century to stop development of interracial relations of European and Native Americans. The relations between black slaves and Native Americans often resulted in creation of racial intermixed populations. The author of the narrative made an attempt of a perfect and ideal utopian society representation. There are witnesses of barbarity, but simultaneously, it is evident that there is a deep understanding, reliable relations in newly created families in intermixed societies. In accordance with the description of her second husband, it is clear that Mrs. Jemison is full of love and passion towards this man: “During the term of nearly fifty years that I lived with him, I received, according to Indian customs, all the kindness and attention that were my due as his wife. –Although war was his trade from his youth till old age and decrepitude stopped his career, he uniformly treated me with tenderness, and never offered an insult” (Saevers, p. 103). Therefore, an Indian man is described as a tolerant man, full of patience and tolerance to his wife. We can also see the following trend, when the author does not discard the opportunity of an aggressive behavior of her husband: “he could inflict the most excruciating tortures upon his enemies, and prided himself upon his fortitude, in having performed the most barbarous ceremonies and tortures, without the least degree of pity or remorse” (Saevers, p. 74). Therefore, killing, tortures and barbarity were also present in this man. Nevertheless, he managed not to project these negative deeds and feelings on his actions. There is a strong classification of values in the Native American community. Family values are on the first place for Hiokatoo. Generally speaking, we can claim that this narrative is of a descriptive nature and it is rather hard to say whether it undermines or not social orders or family relations of Europeans and Indian Americans. The central focus of this narrative from the perspective of female literature is the ability of a woman in the nineteenth century to make her own choice of potential marriage. She is able to choose herself whom to marry. This option should not be taken away from her. In the society of early English colonizers, there was no such a freedom of choice. At this point we can see similar tendencies to the way women were treated in England before they left that country. At the same time, women had an opportunity to live on their own without their men, who often left for long trips. Therefore, women in Native American communities had a chance to live under conditions of a social utopia. They were the creators of their destinies, of their families and social values of their communities. The section of family government points out the following features: a squaw should not dominate over her husband in business; there are certain tensions on the roles women experienced in the Native American families. Women of colonial times required protection in case of external danger. Many existed under conditions of safety and Jemison felt safe when she was married to the Indian men. In spite of the fact of possible polygamy, a woman from the family of slaves experienced a greater support and experienced a feeling of safety for sure. This narrative shows the readers that there are different options of living beyond the obtruded stereotypes of lives of Native Americans. There are strong basic pillars of the society of Native Americans, when women worked together in the name of a common welfare and were protected in their marriage. Therefore, it was on behalf of women to provide their families and communities with reliability and strong social and family values. Jemison is an example of a transformed participant in the intermixed culture of Native Americans and European colonizers. There is a direct opposition between relations of women and men; the formed are “spoiled goods”, while the latter are warriors and protectors. Still, under conditions of an intermixed culture, Jemison is not positioned as a spoiled or damaged product. She is a full-fledged participant of the culture of Native Americans. There is no doubt that a deep mind and strength of her character enabled her being a reasonable wife of the Indian men. This woman obtained a habit: “of peeping from under her eye-brows as they do with the head inclined downwards” (Seaver, pp. 55-56). She made an attempt to develop her own history of a nation with blurred national and cultural borders. The Iroquois women are strong, powerful and determined and Jemison has a chance to develop her own matrilineal culture. The way this woman identifies herself with the Seneca people underlines flexibility of her easy-going nature. She is connected with lands, agriculture and significance of the Iroquois culture. The assimilation of Jemison into the Seneca tribe is the evidence of her ability to become a full-fledged social member of the newly created community, which adopted her with their open hands and hearts. This woman does not mind even changing her name. During the ceremony in the Seneca tribe she receives a name of Dickewamis (Seaver, p.77). They lived in a marriage and had a son, and they lived till their final separation (Seaver, p. 82). A woman in the tribe acquires more power with years. She becomes more self-assured and gains a lot of power. With the course of time, she gets property. It is thus easier for her to survive in the tribe of Native Americans. In the beginning of her life in the community she was afraid of novice social rules of existence and different regulations. For example, after the process of Jemison’s gaining of land, she was more powerful woman. We can see that Native Americans were much concerned about creation of different favorable conditions of their families’ welfare. A sense of the family is very strong for the Native Americans and European Americans for sure. It is necessary to promote a feeling of tolerance and patience and promote these values among early European colonists. This essence, the dignity of family and the relevance of family values in any society are the most important concerns for any society and community. Therefore, the greatest power of Jemison was her power to follow the rules of hegemony and, consequently, support and sustain her ability to support her children. The power of a woman as one of the determinant participants of the Native American community suggests a dominance of the important social role of women in the Indian society, creation of the utopian society and promotion of female dignity and potential dominance over men. Conclusion Jemison is gradually transforming into the true Indian woman. There is a strong commitment to the tribal laws of Native Americans. There is a strong background of captive’s race and it is impossible to lose the dignity of this race. There is strong evidence that a full-fledged transformation into a member of the Iroquois Nation from English nation mean social and cultural assimilation. We can see that it is possible to create a society with blurred stereotypes and values. We live on the edge of the modern global world and, maybe, it is relevant to look for a creation of our global society from such kind of narratives. There is a need to give birth to children of the common society and within the certain community. There is a need to assimilate the values, the concepts of family and common values in order to reach a perfect conglomerate between Native Americans and European colonizers. The process of cultural and social colonizers takes a lot of time. Nevertheless, we can underline that in the process of cultural exchange and values assimilation a lot of efforts should be taken by the different members of the community. Works cited 1. Seaver, J. E. Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison. Ed. by June Namias. NuVision Publications, LLC, 2007. Web. Retrieved Jan 25, 2012 from Read More