Alana Nesteruk

26 April 2010

The Indian Captivity Narrative

               After reading Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narrative I was surprised to see that such literature existed and was interested in learning more about the Indian captivity narrative genre. I wanted to know whether there were more captivity narratives like that of Mary Rowlandson’s, and I was interested in how other women were treated by the Indians. In Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narrative, I was surprised to see that she was treated fairly well considering she was a captive. I would like to know more about the Indian captivity narrative as a genre, and I am curious to know more about other women’s stories and if they are similar to that of Mary Rowlandson’s.  

               While doing my research, I found a book called Women’s Indian Captivity Narratives by Kathryn Derounian-Stodola. In her book, she introduces the Indian Captivity Narrative as a genre and defines it as stories of non-Indians captured by Native Americans. Interestingly, the captivity narrative as a genre encompasses everything from slave narratives to UFO abductions, but the Indian captivity narrative itself is restricted to non-Indians being captured by Indians. There are thousands of Indian captivity narratives in existence and the most famous of them are by or about women. Captivity narratives also serve as literature on the Native Americans and their culture. The Britannica Online Encyclopedia states that captivity narratives serve as ethnographies and help anthropologists to study Native American cultures.

               I also came across Mary Jemison’s captivity narrative on the website http://historymatters.gmu.edu. In 1753, Mary Jemison was captured by the Indians at the age of 15, and in 1823 she related her story to a doctor in New York who published it as “The White Woman of the Genessee,” selling over 100,000 copies. Interestingly, Mary Jemison was captured to be adopted into an Indian family who had lost their brother. In her narrative she says she was treated as if she had been born by her adopted mother. Eventually her family found her and took her back, but she had become so accustomed to living with the Indians that she felt as though she had been captured once again.

               There were many reasons that captivity narratives were published. Mary Rowlandson published her narrative to praise god, as was the rationale of many other captives. Another reason captivity narratives were published was for economic support because publishing such narratives was extremely lucrative. Unfortunately, many of the narratives demonized Native Americans. According to my research, Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narrative is the earliest full-length Indian captivity narrative and is considered an American classic.

               I was surprised to see that so many Indian captivity narratives exist and that the women who were captives were treated so well. Indian captivity narratives give us much insight into the lives of the American Indians and the struggle over our land. Indian captivity narratives provide a history of early America, and thus, are essential in grasping early American literature.

Works Cited

1. “Captured by Indians: Mary Jemison becomes an Indian” web. 23 April 2010.

<http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5794/>

2. Derounian-Stodola, Kathryn. Women’s Indian Captivity Narratives. Harmondsworth: Penguin Classics, 1998. 339. Print.

3. “Ethnography and the production of foreignness in Indian Captivity Narratives” web. 23 April 2010. <http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/28158661/Ethnography-and-the-Production-of-Foreignness-in-Indian-Captivity-Narratives>