The Life, History and Travels of Kah-Ge-Ga-Gah-Bowh


Book Description

The Life, History and Travels of Kah-ge-ga-gah-Bowh (1847) is a memoir by George Copway. Written while he was living with his wife and daughter in New York City, The Life, History and Travels of Kah-ge-ga-gah-Bowh was an immediate bestseller that helped establish Copway as a leading Native American author of the nineteenth century. Recognized as the first book published by a Canadian First Nations writer, Copway’s memoir is an invaluable resource for understanding the history of contact between settlers and indigenous peoples, some of whom, like Copway’s family, assimilated and served as missionaries, translators, and ambassadors. “I loved the woods, and the chase. I had the nature for it, and gloried in nothing else. The mind for letters was in me, but was asleep, till the dawn of Christianity arose, and awoke the slumbers of the soul into energy and action.” Raised in a moment of immense cultural change for his people, George Copway was educated to serve as a missionary for the Methodist church. Among the Ojibwe of Ontario and Minnesota, the man whose birth name was Kah-ge-ga-gah-Bowh, meaning He Who Stands Forever, spreads the Christian faith he has given his life to. Before this, however, he lived a simple life in touch with the natural world, fearful of spirits and careful to listen to the lessons of his elders. Interspersed throughout the story of his life are observations and passages on his family and the history of their ancestors, making The Life, History and Travels of Kah-ge-ga-gah-Bowh an invaluable record of their traditions and daily existence. Written in a poetic, meditative prose, Copway’s memoir remains essential reading nearly two centuries after it appeared in print. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of George Copway’s The Life, History and Travels of Kah-ge-ga-gah-Bowh is a classic work of Native American literature reimagined for modern readers.










The Missionary Lives


Book Description

This book is a survey of the life writings by and about Canadian missionaries at home and abroad, over the last one hundred and thirty years. A general missionary history of Canada appears first, to introduce separate chapters on the forms and themes of this body of literature. The critical problems presented by writing that has resisted modern and post-modern developments are discussed. Partial and fictional life writing, as well as marginal forms, are also explored. The book concludes with general statements about the whole of this literature and its effects. The first attempt at a comprehensive bibliography of Canadian missionary life writing is appended.




Multicultural Autobiography


Book Description










Handbook of Native American Literature


Book Description

The Handbook of Native American Literature is a unique, comprehensive, and authoritative guide to the oral and written literatures of Native Americans. It lays the perfect foundation for understanding the works of Native American writers. Divided into three major sections, Native American Oral Literatures, The Historical Emergence of Native American Writing, and A Native American Renaissance: 1967 to the Present, it includes 22 lengthy essays, written by scholars of the Association for the Study of American Indian Literatures. The book features reports on the oral traditions of various tribes and topics such as the relation of the Bible, dreams, oratory, humor, autobiography, and federal land policies to Native American literature. Eight additional essays cover teaching Native American literature, new fiction, new theater, and other important topics, and there are bio-critical essays on more than 40 writers ranging from William Apes (who in the early 19th century denounced white society's treatment of his people) to contemporary poet Ray Young Bear. Packed with information that was once scattered and scarce, the Handbook of Native American Literature -a valuable one-volume resource-is sure to appeal to everyone interested in Native American history, culture, and literature. Previously published in cloth as The Dictionary of Native American Literature







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