The Native American Voice in Willa Cather - The Song of the Lark and Other Writings - Stephen C. Swinehart

Sep 18, 2026

Upload by Himbo

The text examines how Willa Cather absorbed Native American oral traditions and storytelling strategies into her fiction, arguing she did so without intending to write conventional historical novels. It traces early influences ranging from mountain storytellers in Virginia to narratives heard on the Great Plains, then connects these to reading biased historical texts and essays. Specific references to authors and works show how naming and stereotype shaped her youthful views of Indigenous peoples, alongside evidence of racist depictions in period travel accounts and newspaper memoirs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time17 min

AccessFree to download

Early Influences

Native oral traditions and exposure

Biased historical texts and naming

Stereotypes in travel literature and newspapers

# THE NATIVE AMERICAN VOICE IN WILLA CATHER’STHE SONG OF THE LARK AND OTHER WRITINGSby Stephen C.Swinehart Contrary to the prevailing critieism which generaly ignores or dismisses herexposure to the Native American infuence,Willa Cather was sensitive to theorality of Great Plains'minority groups.She was as responsivc to,and curiousabout,Native American oral traditions as she was to those of the immigrantpeoples,whose homes she oficn visited.In this article,I arguc that Catherincorporated the story-telling strategies of indigenous peoples into her own work,with no intention of writing eonventional historica]novels. # EARLY INFLUENCES The early infuences of the oral tradlition on Cather range from exposure tothe moun1ain story-tellers of her early years in Virginia to the narratives heardon the Divide,a small height of land bctween the Republican and Little Bluerivers.Cather's ready receptivity to story-telling made her empathetic to thelcgends of those Native Americans who had once inhabited her region and itsparked an interest in Indian cultures which culminated in her 1912 trip toArizona;other trips to the Southwest would follow.These influences,coupledwith her rcading of clearly biased hisiorical texts and essays,like Winchel'sSketches of Creation(1870)'and Taylor's Between the Gates(1888)²[from herprivate library];Parkman's The Oregon Trail(1891)²;Turner's "The Significanceof the Fronticr in American History"(1893)°;and Paxson's The Last AmericanFrontier(1910)⁵shaped her fiction.They romanticized,to some degree,heraccounts of native eultures and they tapped into the spiritual center of thesecultures. "In 1990,"historian Gerald Nash writes,"Western historians number morethan 2,000—compared to the two hundred or so of 1890.6 The Americanhistorians of Cather's rime,in the 1890s,viewed "humanity advancing on anirreversible path of progress,whereon tyranny inevitably gave way to freedom."The Romanuics shared this view of history,grounded in Hegelian logic,that"human history is the progress of rcason..."As an adolescent,Cather likewise shared this Hegclian view which she undoubtedly read in Alexander Winchell'sSkerches of Creation,Book No.42,in her private library. In viewing her high school graduation speech of 1890 which begins "Allhuman history is a record of an emigration,an exodus from barbarism tocivilization,9we observe the Winchell influence as wellas the views of romantichistorians of her age such as Bancroft,Motley,Prescott,and Parkman,whoseworks Woodress writes,"Cather must have known then at least by reputation.10Winchell's text,however intellectually stimulating it was for the young Cather,unfortunately patronizes and denigrates Native Americans.The opening line inCather's graduation speech rings of such a view.Winchell writes,"the Esquimauxand the North American Indians generally are still in their Stone Age.The Ageof Stone is simply the stage of infancy [akin to barbarism]."The native cultures,therein,are reduced to a barbaric and savage starus.They were given derogatorynames by historians and the names stuck. American historians of this period were aware of the power of naming andthe type of being that naming conferred upon people;they used disparagingterms to persuade readers to their own views.These writers of histories wereoften university professors who were influential in shaping young minds likeCather's.Winchell,himself,was a University of Michigan professor,and,for theimpressionable Cather,was credible enough to be believed. More racist"digs"at minority groups persist in Benjamin Taylor's travel bookBetween the Gates(1888).The reader is taken on an American's journey fromChicago to California's Pacific coast.Taylor sprinkles his experiences in travelwith sardonic wit,while quoting pedantically from Shakespeare and resorting toLatin phrases.Cather's love for both Shakespeare and Latin may have propelledher into adding Taylor's book to her private ibrary,numbering it "Book 11."Andthe young girl'

FAQs

What does the text claim about Willa Cather’s engagement with Native American traditions?

It argues Cather was sensitive to Native American oral traditions and incorporated their storytelling strategies into her work, without intending to write conventional historical novels.

Which early sources does the text cite as shaping Cather’s receptivity to stories?

It points to exposure to mountain storytellers in Virginia and narratives heard on the Divide between the Republican and Little Blue rivers, leading to broader interest in Indian cultures.

How does the text explain the role of historical writing in Cather’s views of minority groups?

It argues that biased histories and essay writing—often using derogatory naming—helped foster stereotypical ideas, influencing how Cather understood Native Americans and other minorities.

Sep 18, 2026

Upload by Himbo