Indian sketches

John Treat Irving

In 1833 John Treat Irving, Jr., only 20 years old, set off west in the footsteps of his famous uncle, Washington Irving. Indian Sketches chronicles his experiences traversing the prairie and living among the Pawnees, Otoes, and other tribes. Looking at everything with fresh eyes, Irving's sketches of the people and customs he encountered avoid the common stereotypes of Indians. There is a tragically amusing scene of his first encounter with an Indian on that man's native land. The Shawnee stands heroic and tall in the distance, and Irving fancies him "as noble as the soil of which he was the master." However, the closer the party gets, the more bedraggled and wretched the man looks, and Irving's fantasies are shattered.Irving recovers from his disappointment with all the buoyancy of any 20-year-old, and the rest of the book is dedicated to incredibly realistic and literary portraits...