Book review: Native American Scientists

Capstone Short Biographies: Native American Scientists: Fred Begay, Wilfred F. Denetclaw Jr., Frank C. Dukepoo, Clifton Poodry, Jerrel Yakel, by Jetty st. John, Capstone Press, Mankato, MN 1996.
This book may be a bit too young for my taste, but I was interested in the topic.  The five scientist presented all have some similarities, a struggle to get where they are.  Often this struggle was against their own culture, but more often against their own attitude towards education.  Wilfred F. Detenclaw Jr. had to overcome a cultural issue in his education, he was assigned to dissect a cat.  However disturbing a dead animal is taboo to the Navajo, because it will effect the animal's spirit.  Only after talking to a medicine man did he feel comfortable going ahead with the assign, because he had to learn about animals and how they work.  He is a Navajo zoologist.
Frank C. Dukepoo was the victim of a bully.  However he is Hopi, a peaceful people so he didn't fight back, but got even in the classroom.  He received five scholarships, but wasted them away with his lifestyle of non-study.  He then didn't know what to do, but a mento advised him to earn the money he needed and start over.  That he did, and he now teacher biology at a university.
Fred Begay is mixed heritage, Ute and navajo.  He didn't attend school until he was nine, a government school, where he wasn't allowed to use his language or ceremonies, nor go home for two years.  He served in the Korean War flying on rescue missions.  He became a physicists and works at the Los Alamos Lab in New Mexico.  He is working on fusion.
Clifton Poodry is a member of the Seneca Tribe who was thinking of becoming a teacher, but he became so interested in genetics this became his life long pursuit.  He is a bioligist.  He works with Native American youth on pursuing science.
Jerrel Yakel is a California Indian from the Luiseno tribe.  His 8th grade science teacher sparked his interest in science when he was challenged to collect 50 bugs.  He is now a neuroscientist and studies the brain and how it works.  These studies lead to the development of medications for mental and other disorders.

Native American Biography: Ely Samuel Parker: Seneca

Ely Samuel Parker

Ely Samuel Parker is known as a Civil War officer, and the person who put in writing the final surrender terms.  He was a Lieutenant Colonel attached to the staff of Ulysses S. Grant.  Parker studied for the law, but he was not allowed to take the bar exam because as a Seneca he was not a U.S. Citizen.  He subsequently studied civil engineering which he pursued until the Civil War.

Grant's staff, Parker on left

After being turned down twice to serve in the army because of his being Indian, he approached an acquaintance Ulysses S. Grant and became a captain in the civil engineers serving under Grant.  He went with grant when he was assigned as the leader of all U.S. forces.  He served as his secretary and wrote much of Grant's correspondence.

Appomattox, Parker third from right, back row

He was present at Appomattox Courthouse, and later said, "At the time of surrender, General Lee "stared at me for a moment," said Parker to more than one of his friends and relatives, "He extended his hand and said, 'I am glad to see one real American here.' I shook his hand and said, 'We are all Americans.'"  After these event Parker was breveted to a general. When Grant became president, he was appointed commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the first Native American to serve in this post.   

Native American Biographies: Seneca (Iroquois Confederacy) Leaders

Red Jacket  Seneca  Red Jacket distinguished himself as an orator rather than a fighter.  He received his nickname of Red jacket because of his fondness of wearing red jackets, first given to him by the British.  At the Council of Oswega he and Cornplanter urged Iroquois neutrality during the Revolutionary War.  When the council as a whole voted for aiding the British he joined with this decision and fought with the British.  He did not distinguish himself in battle, leaving the field on a couple of occasions.  However he often served as speaker.  He participated in many treaty conferences, arguing against Indian assimilation.  President George Washington gave him a medal.  He never rose to become a member of the Iroquois Council.  This may have been because of conflict he had with Handsome Lake.  Handsome Lake thought he was a hypocrite.  Red Jacket did not like religious people, and could not see how Christians could not reach agreement on their religion.

Handsome Lake Seneca.  Handsome lake was a Seneca Chief during the Revolutionary War.  However, he is most noted as a Seneca Prophet.  He founded the Long House Religion which is still practiced by Seneca in Canada, Oklahoma and New York.  Practice of this religion started after Handsome Lake had a vision when he was ill.  His vision taught him about the Great Spirit, and was called the Good Word.  He had many subsequent visions.  His visions have similar qualities to Biblical visions.  He prescribed different punishments in hell for different sins.  This is how he excoriated Red Jacket, talking about his future punishments in hell.  He did no use alcohol, and encouraged others to abstain.  When Handsome Lake died the Seneca were divided into two factions, those who followed him and those who wanted the old ways.  By the Civil War those seeking the old ways had disappeared.  They had either become Christian or joined his movement.  By the Civil War almost all the Seneca People were religious, either Christian, or Long House or both. 

Cornplanter Seneca.  Cornplanter was the son of a Seneca woman and a Dutch father.  He has half-brother to the prophet Handsome Lake.   He was teased for having light skin as a child.  He argued for Iroquois neutrality during the Revolutionary War.  However his view did not prevail and he sided with the British as was the Iroquois Council decision.  He fought in several engagements, and at one point came upon his father, but refused to take him prisoner.  After the war he emerged as a proponent of peaceful relations with the Americans.  He did not like their tactics of taking Seneca land, but also maintained that peaceful relations were best.  He promoted America to other tribes.  Cornplanter met George Washington, and requested technical assistance for his people.  Washington recommended the Quakers who established a model farm and school for the Seneca.  The relationship between the Seneca and Quakers continues to this day.   He assisted the state of Pennsylvania in obtaining the Erie Triangle as part of the state.  A few years later, Pennsylvania erected a monument in his honor, the first monument to honor a Native American in the United States.

Native American Biography: Iroquois Confederacy

Deganawida, Huron, is credited with being the founder of the Iroquois Confederacy, but would not have been successful without the help of Hiawatha.  The third participant is Atotarho who represented the Onondaga.  When the Confederacy was formed it was during a period of great violence.  There was much warring between tribes, and some tribes practiced cannibalism and/or human sacrifice.  It is said Deganawida was sent by the Creator to bring the message of peace.  He was a prophet.  Hiawatha, a Mohawk, had been part of the violence, likely practicing cannibalism.  However after a dream he began searching.  He traveled to Deganawida who had started preaching peace.  Hiawatha became a prophet in his own right, but also the spokesperson for the pair.  The espoused the ideals of  “peace, civil authority, righteousness, and the great law." The confederation would not have happened if they could not bring the  Onondaga on board, and their leader Atotarho was hesitant.  To the Onandago was give the prime position of central fire-keepers, a position they still hold.  The Iroquois initially included five tribes, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayoga and Seneca; and eventually six when joined by the Tuscarora.