EVER PLAY COWBOYS AND INDIANS?

By Mary A. Adair, Guest

Thanks to the authors of Cowboy Kisses for sharing their fun blog. Thanks also to Peggy L. Henderson, who let me fill in for her today while she—lucky woman—vacations with her family in Yellowstone National Park. I love this blog and many of the authors here are among my favorites.

When you were a child, did you play cowboys and Indians as I did? However, did any of you ever want to play the Indians?  Well, I didn’t just play Indians, I now write books about them.

 

Although we’re originally Texans, my own cowboy hero is part Cherokee and we live in the Cherokee area of Southeastern Oklahoma. I’ve long been interested in history in general, and in the Cherokee specifically. Imagine my delight when I learned that an ancestor of my husband was one of the first men to document Cherokee life. James Adair wrote HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS in the eighteenth century. In addition to being an author, James Adair was a spy as an agent for England’s King George II, a doctor, and a trader. His book is interesting even though many aspects of it are controversial.

Drawing of 18th century Cherokee

For instance, Dr. Adair believed the Cherokee were the Lost Tribe of Israel due to their practice of many laws outlined in the Torah. Whew, I am certainly not about to comment on that theory! If you care to read Adair’s book, it has now been translated into modern English. One version is by Kathryn E. Holland Braund, Auburn University.

Cherokee Woman

Courtesy NY Public Library Photo Collection

No matter whether or not you agree with his political and religious views, James Adair accomplished a great deal in the service of the King. His efforts aided the English in stifling French influence among the American Indians. In addition to HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS, he wrote other books now available in reprint. He was a product of his time, of course, and that must be taken into account when reading his works.

Principal Cherokee Chief George Lowrey
Born Agin'-agi'li and known as Rising Fawn, his father came from Scotland and his mother was the daughter and granddaughter of Echota Cherokee chiefs. He is pictured above wearing his medal from U. S. Congress for aid to President George Washington.
George Catlin painting courtesy of Dover Publications DVD

Ahem, back to my original theme.  The Cherokee were firmly established in the Carolinas when gold was discovered there. You guessed it, they were asked to move. Though many remained in North Carolina or drifted to Tennessee, others moved to Northwest Georgia. A few decades later in Georgia, same story again—gold was discovered. After that followed the terrible Trail of Tears on which many Cherokee, Choctaw, Muskogee/Creek, Seminole, and and Chickasaw died.  

My own research has involved James Adair’s book and that time in history. I know this blog is more “western” in theme, but what’s more western than the American Indian? Please bear with me and allow me to tell you a bit about PASSION’S VISION and PASSION’S PRICE, the first two books in my Passion series.

Cherokee Beadwork

James Adair is the inspiration for James Fitzgerald, or Red Panther, but the rest is my imagination. New Moon is the strong woman warrior who captures James Fitzgerald’s heart in PASSION’S VISION. New Moon’s visions warn of James’ arrival in her village to become her husband. She vows to defy her vision and refuse to associate with the white man. This is a romance, so I am not giving away the story when I tell you New Moon fails in that, but succeeds in her other quests.

Their daughter resembles her father’s people and is called Golden Dawn. In PASSION’S PRICE, Dawn falls in love with Raven Cloud, who was called Little Buffalo as a child. Dawn follows Raven to London because she believes he is in mortal danger. Dawn has been taught proper English etiquette, but she dislikes being bound by those conventions. She creates a stir in Raven’s life and refuses to leave until the danger is over.

Currently, I’m working on the third book in this series, PASSION’S PROMISE, which will take Johnny Cloud, the son of Dawn and Raven, back to America to fulfill a promise to his wife.

Writing is my passion, and I am happy when I can sit at my computer and create new obstacles for my characters to overcome. I hope reading about them makes readers as happy. My books are available at

Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/238620

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Passions-Vision-Series-ebook/dp/B006QQ0LVA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1372983459&sr=1-1&keywords=Passion%27s+vision

Thanks again to Cowboy Kisses authors for sharing the blog with me.

Mary Adair is an Amazon bestselling author of Native American historical romance. Follow her at Website www.maryadair.com

Blog http://authormaryadair.blogspot.com

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Twitter @MaryAdairdotcom