Throughout the “Narrative of Mary Jemison” there are many instances where it seems Jemison tries to present the image of an almost utopian community—if not for the “barbarity” of some of the males. In this society she depicts, even though it is likely quite tempered by the biases of her editor, there is true love that can exist alongside extreme barbarity, thus the whole of Indian society is more fully represented. For example, while Jemison states in one of the important quotes from “The Narrative of Mary Jemison”, “Hiokatoo was an old man when I first saw him; but he was by no means enervated. During the term of nearly fifty years that I lived with him, I received, according to Indian customs, all the kindness and attention that were my due as his wife. –Although war was his trade from his youth till old age and decrepitude stopped his career, he uniformly treated me with tenderness, and never offered an insult” (1).

In her narrative, Mary Jemison contrasts this great ability for love with the following statement about the barbarous nature of her husband, “He could inflict the most excruciating tortures upon his enemies, and prided himself upon his fortitude, in having performed the most barbarous ceremonies and tortures, without the least degree of pity or remorse. Thus qualified, when very young he was initiated into scenes of carnage, by being engaged in the wars that prevailed amongst the Indian tribes…A continued series of wantonness and barbarity characterized their career, for they plundered and burnt every thing that came in their way, and killed a number of persons, among whom were several infants, whom Hiokatoo butchered or dashed upon the stones with his own hands” (1). In many ways, this duality of character is symbolic of the whole of the narrative and this point of colonial conflict in general because on the one hand, a capacity for great love and respect is present but there is always that cruel side, that “barbarous” nature that comes out when provoked. In love, like in war, nothing is quite clear in this narrative.

“Despite Republican sentiments in post-revolutionary America that independence should extend across gender lines, an underlying fear persisted that women, when given choices—who to marry for instance—would not know how to make the right choices” (1) but it seems as though this is not Jemison’s idea on the matter and it is clear that she did have choice in her marriages. Moreover, this seems like another example of the interjections Seaver and his views on the way (and ability) of women to make choices—not the narrator herself. Even with this tension, it should be noted, “The enormous popularity of Seaver’s Narrative suggests that inquiring minds of the 1820s were especially curious…specifically about what it was like to be married to an Indian. Acutely aware of white prejudice against miscegenation, Jemison—and/or Seaver—emphasizes her reluctance in marrying her first husband Sheninjee, a handsome Delaware warrior who died within four years of their union” (5). There is something that must have excited the imaginations of those women who purchased the book in great qualities and this is something to remark upon. Many colonial women were often in the same roles, treatment-wise, as they were before they left England. With the continuation of such roles, one must wonder what the narrative of Jemison would have held for them—was the idea of being “allowed” to marry whomever one wishes as well as live a life independent of such males (who often are shown going on long trips, leaving women in their utopian community) instead of a group of close females surrounding them appealing?

While it can be seen that gender for a woman like Mary offered its freedoms, it is important to point out that this was not a feminist utopia by any means. In the section regarding “family government” it is noted that, “) It is a rule, inculcated in all the Indian tribes, and practiced throughout their generations, that a squaw shall not walk before her Indian, nor pretend to take the lead in his business. And for this reason we never can see a party on the march to or from hunting and the like, in which the squaws are not directly in the rear of their partners.” (1). Moreover, there is the issue of polygamy involved in this question. What would a traditional, Christian woman find appealing about having a husband with more than one wife? The answer seems to be, quite simply, that it would relieve the labor and sexual on these women and leave them free to engage in other pursuits. While many colonial Christian women would not have considered such an act, it is useful to consider how what they may have found appealing comments on the tensions of gender roles for white colonial women. In a period of armed conflict—one in which there was the danger of capture and assault, it was necessary for women of the colonial times to want as much protection as possible. Perhaps in some ways, Mary’s existence in such a community—one that was safe because of the strong bonds in male (married) and female society; there was a greater sense of safety.

In closing, much of Mary Jemison’s narrative reflects the push-and-pull relationship between Mary, the editors, and even in some more ethereal sense, the readers of the final text. With two cultures being represented in the text with the setting for most of it based within a situation of conflict, it seems as though although there are several points of difference between the two cultures, and many opportunities where there could have been more biased commentary from Seaver, this text offers readers a picture, even an attractive one, of the lives of Native Americans outside of the stereotypical (of the time” “evil Indian” paradigm which was prone to depicting them as cruel savages. While there are several moments of extreme barbarity on the part of the Indians, there are many instances, which reveal equal savagery on the part of the whites. It is through the community of women—one based in combined labor and the protection of marriage, however, that the more appealing picture is presented.

Other essays and articles in the Literature Archives related to this topic include :  Puritan Ideology in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and “A Model of Christian Charity”   •    Puritan Influences on Modern American Culture and Thought    •  A Comparison of the French Revolution and American Revolution

Works Cited

Namias, June. The Evolution of One Captive’s Story from June Namias, White Captives: Gender and Ethnicity on the American Frontier (Chapel Hill: Univer of North Carolina Press, 1993), p. 145-203.

Seaver, James., A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison (Norman, OK: Univ of Oklahoma Press, 1992) p.61-95, p.109-118.

Sweet, T. 2001. Native Americans and American Identities in the Early Republic. American Literary History 13, no. 3:592

Tennenhouse, L. 1998. The Americanization of Clarissa. Yale Journal of Criticism 11, no. 1:177

Walsh, Susan. With Them Was My Home: Native American Autobiography and A Narrative of the Life of Mary Jemison, American Literature, Vol. 64, No. 1 (Mar., 1992), 49-70.