LITR 4326 Early American Literature Research Posts 2016 (research post assignment) Research Post 1

Andrea Esquivel

Mary Jemison: From Irish to Seneca

As many captivity stories begin, the protagonist, Mary Jemison, was living happily amongst her family in present-day Pennsylvania. Mary was one of many siblings and was born in the fall of 1793 while her family was aboard the William and Mary, the vessel sailing from Ireland to America (“Mary Jemison”). Like many families who ventured out farther west, the Jemisons too followed manifest-destiny to a better life for their family to live in peace. Unbeknownst to them, their life together as a family in the New World would be short-lived and they would be separated forever.

In Native American beliefs, it is only just to even out the scoreboard, so to speak, and replace a lost family member with an adopted captive, or retrieve the scalp of one among those who had wronged the tribe (“Captured By Indians: Mary Jemison Becomes an Indian”). Since Mary was still young and impressionable, she was perfect for adoption into the Seneca tribe (“Captured By Indians: Mary Jemison Becomes an Indian”). Unfortunately for Mary’s family, their debt (by default) had not been paid in full to the grieving Native Americans who had lost family members, and so Mary’s mother, father, sister Betsy, and her two brothers Robert and Matthew were ruthlessly murdered and scalped (Mary Jemison). Only thereafter had they repaid their debt, and the Senecas carried off Mary to their tribe and welcomed her into their society (“Captured By Indians: Mary Jemison Becomes an Indian”).

After her ritualistic capture and the murder of her family, Mary had no choice but to embrace the new life she was forced into. She was given the name “Dickewamis”, meaning “pretty…pleasant…[and] good” (“Captured By Indians: Mary Jemison Becomes an Indian”). Although she was kidnapped and her family was mercilessly slaughtered, Mary began to understand what her new role in life was to be—a replacement for a loved one that the tribe had lost. The Seneca believed in ‘an eye for an eye’, but not in a ruthless vengeful way like the Comanche did. They simply wanted to fill their loss with another life that could replace the one that was lost (“Captured By Indians: Mary Jemison Becomes an Indian”). Essentially, despite the manner in which she was introduced to the tribe, she was treated with kindness and respect ("Captured By Indians: Mary Jemison Becomes an Indian").

As Mary’s life with the tribe continued, she married and had a family with Sheninjee, a warrior of the Seneca, and later another warrior named Hiakatoo, with whom she had a son named John with (“Mary Jemison”). Although she loved her children, husband, and friends among the tribe, she couldn’t help but remember her previous life with her siblings and parents. She missed her family terribly and while she would have time to herself, she would recite the prayers her mother begged her not to forget before her untimely death (“Captured By Indians, 1758”). She even named one of her sons Thomas, after her father who fought so bravely to protect his family and loved Mary dearly (“Mary Jemison”).

Mary Jemison’s story has sold hundreds of thousands of copies due to the dramatic, heart-wrenching biography that has given students and historians alike a miraculous view of the life of a Native American captive. She was a brave woman who never gave up despite the grisly past she had been burdened with since her childhood. Around 1824, Mary told her story to the minister James E. Seaver, as she was somewhat illiterate in the English language, and he was able to put her story down on paper and share it with the world. Mary ‘Dickewamis’ Jemison died near her hometown in New York among her Seneca peers and loved ones (“Captured By Indians: Mary Jemison Becomes an Indian”).

Works Cited

"Captured by Indians, 1758." Captured by Indians, 1758. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.

"Captured By Indians: Mary Jemison Becomes an Indian." Captured By Indians: Mary Jemison Becomes an Indian. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.

"Mary Jemison." - New World Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.

"Mary Jemison, Captivity Narrative from the 1750s (1824)." Mary Jemison, Captivity Narrative from the 1750s (1824). N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.