Indian Stories Retold From St. Nicholas

In Short

This volume gathers various short pieces previously published in the popular children’s magazine St. Nicholas. Through a mix of folklore, personal travelogues, and historical accounts, it aims to demystify the lives of North American Indigenous children and tribes for a young audience. The book’s lasting appeal lies in its specific, observational detail—recording everything from traditional games and doll-making to the mechanics of a bear hunt—while capturing the earnest, if sometimes dated, educational spirit of late-Victorian America.

The Story

The collection opens with the fable of Waukewa, a young boy whose gentle nature leads him to nurse a wounded eaglet back to health. Their bond transcends the typical distance between humans and wild creatures, until the boy fulfills his promise to set his companion free. This theme of connection and tradition continues as the narrative shifts from myth to the grounded, often sobering, realities of American history and reservation life. Readers are introduced to the daily rhythms of the Santee Sioux, observing everything from the squeaking, wooden-wheeled carts of a travel party to the elaborate, painted costumes worn during sacred dances.

The book moves between the playful and the somber. We see the ingenuity of "Stone-Age" children who turn mud and willow into toys and the intense, disciplined training of young hunters learning to shoot from a galloping pony. Yet, the narrative also confronts the encroachment of settlers and the bureaucratic injustices that reshaped Indigenous lands. The account of the infamous "Walking Purchase" details how a legal loophole was weaponized against the Lenni-Lenape, stripping them of their ancestral territory and forcing their displacement.

Further chapters explore the domestic side of tribal life, describing the Zuni cradle-board and the intricate, hand-woven clothing of Zuni girls. There is also the story of Little Moccasin, a boy whose search for status and honor leads him into the heart of a rival camp. His journey serves as a bridge between the pride of his people and the complex, often dangerous interactions with neighboring tribes and the encroaching white settlers. The arc concludes with a broader look at the preservation of history through oral tradition, emphasizing that while many tribes have been displaced, the stories of their past remain tethered to the land, pottery, and spoken word, waiting to be understood by those who stop to listen.

How It Unfolds

The bond of nature The collection begins with the gentle story of a boy who nurtures a broken-winged eagle. This establishes a motif of harmony between the young and the wild that reappears throughout the later accounts of frontier life.

Life on the reservation The focus shifts to the contemporary, offering a detailed, observational tour of a Santee Sioux settlement. The narrative highlights the contrast between the quiet simplicity of the tepees and the elaborate spectacle of the dance-hall.

The training of a hunter A detailed look at the games of youth reveals how play functioned as a crucible for survival. From "snow-snakes" to wrestling, the activities are presented as vital practice for the adult duties of hunting and war.

The encroachment of the settler The narrative turns to the history of land rights and the "Walking Purchase," documenting the loss of territory through legal manipulation. This provides a stark, historical counterpoint to the earlier folkloric elements.

The continuity of tradition The book concludes by examining how oral legends and cultural practices persist despite displacement. It centers on the importance of storytelling as a living record, ensuring that the identity of the past remains intact.

The People

Waukewa is the quintessential innocent whose kindness toward a wounded animal establishes the book’s thematic heart. He is a child defined by a "gentle spirit," serving as a foil to the more hardened warriors who view wildlife only as a resource or a threat. Little Moccasin, by contrast, is a boy driven by vanity and a desperate need to reclaim his honor after a personal humiliation. His journey from a captive in a rival camp to a runaway seeking protection represents the vulnerability of youth caught in the crossfire of tribal and colonial conflict.

Old Looking-Glass is the most poignant figure, a foster-mother who risks her own safety to facilitate Little Moccasin’s escape. Her character embodies the quiet, moral resilience often missing from the broader historical accounts of the period. Finally, the figure of the unnamed "noble red Indian" in the travelogues is presented with a mix of genuine admiration and the period’s characteristic, somewhat patronizing, detachment. These figures move through the pages as both active participants in their own history and subjects of an outside, inquisitive gaze, leaving them as complex, partially realized portraits of a vanishing, yet resilient, way of life.

In Its Own Voice

Waukewa went slowly home to his father's lodge, bearing the wounded eaglet in his arms.

The opening of the first story establishes the boy's compassionate nature.

The family baggage seemed about equally distributed between the pony and the squaw who led him. She was preceded by her lord and master, the noble red Indian, who carried no load except his long pipe.

A traveler’s observation highlights the stark gender roles witnessed during a journey to an agency.

"We will live in love with William Penn and his children," said they, "as long as the sun and moon shall shine."

This quote reflects the tragic irony of the Lenni-Lenape's broken trust regarding the "walking purchase."

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an attempt to bridge a cultural and temporal divide. It grapples with the transition from the "primitive" mythos of the past to the realities of the reservation era. It asks how a culture defined by oral tradition, seasonal movement, and communal play survives the enclosure of the frontier. The text acts as a ledger of customs—games, baths, and dress—while simultaneously mourning the loss of the land and the systemic erosion of Indigenous rights. It is about the tension between the romanticized "noble savage" archetype held by Victorian observers and the actual, complicated, and often painful reality of human beings trying to preserve their identity amidst monumental change.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate ethnographic snapshots and the historical curiosity of children’s literature will find this book deeply compelling. It feels like a time capsule, carrying both the genuine wonder of a writer encountering a new world and the rigid, often narrow, cultural biases of its time. The writing is precise and observational, making the descriptions of bear hunts and snow-snake games feel remarkably immediate, even a century later.

However, a modern reader must be prepared for the period-typical language and the patronizing tone that occasionally colors the authorial voice. The book does not shy away from the darker side of American history—the betrayal of land agreements and the displacement of tribes—which adds a necessary layer of gravity to the more whimsical stories. The length is manageable, and the structure of short, distinct pieces makes it an easy, episodic read. It is best enjoyed by someone interested in the history of ideas—specifically how the American mainstream sought to interpret, record, and ultimately frame the Indigenous experience for the next generation. What stays with you is the juxtaposition of the very personal, intimate moments of childhood and the massive, impersonal machinery of historical change that would eventually alter these lives forever.