This edition of A Thrilling Narrative of Indian Captivity rescues from obscurity a crucially important work about the bitterly contested 1862 U.S.-Dakota War in Minnesota. Written by Mary Butler Renville, an Anglo woman, with the assistance of her Dakota husband, John Baptiste Renville, A Thrilling Narrative of Indian Captivity was printed as a book only once, in 1863, and has not been republished since. The work details the Renvilles' experiences as "captives" among their Dakota kin in the Upper Camp and chronicles the story of the Dakota Peace Party. Their sympathetic portrayal of those who opposed the war in 1862 combats the stereotypical view that most Dakotas supported it and illuminates the injustice of their exile from Dakota homelands. From the authors' unique perspective as an interracial couple, they paint a complex picture of race, gender, and class relations on successive midwestern frontiers. This narrative provides fresh insights into the most controversial event in the region's history, and includes groundbreaking historical and literary contexts for the text and a first-time collection of extant Dakota correspondence with authorities during the war.
Mary Butler Renville (1830-1895) and John Baptiste Renville (1831-1903) dedicated their lives to education and mission work among the Dakotas. Carrie Reber Zeman is an independent historian specializing in the context and historiography of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. Kathryn Zabelle Derounian-Stodola is a professor of English emerita at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the author of The War in Words: Reading the Dakota Conflict through the Captivity Literature (Nebraska, 2009). Dakota scholar Gwen N. Westerman is a professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and coauthor of Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota, winner of the Hognander Minnesota History Award.
List of Illustrations Foreword Preface Acknowledgments A Note on Editorial Procedure Pronunciation Guide for Dakota Iapi Historical Introduction Literary Introduction A Thrilling Narrative of Indian Captivity Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Addenda H. D. Cunningham's Statement Appendix A: Correspondence between the Dakota Camps and Authorities, September-October 1862 Appendix B: Selected Correspondence of John B. Renville and Mary A. Renville, 1862-1888 Notes Bibliography Index
"[The editors] have provided splendid introductions and meticulous and helpful annotations that allow readers to appreciate the importance of this account. Zeman's historical introduction is a scholarly tour de force that reflects an impressive knowledge of the relevant sources and also a good sense of what is significant. . . . It is a complex story that is here well told and convincing. . . . It is an outstanding work."-Raymond DeMallie, editor of The Sixth Grandfather: Black Elk's Teachings Given to John G. Neihardt "This is an impressive and extremely important contribution to our understanding of the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War. . . . Mary Renville's account, enriched by her husband John's presence at a number of council meetings, offers a perspective that qualitatively differs from other captivity narratives."-Mary Wingerd, author of North Country: The Making of Minnesota "A fantastically detailed annotation of the narrative, explaining the political, economic, and kinship connections between Dakota and non-Dakota figures alike and explaining the identities and histories of even the most glancingly mentioned individuals in the text. Taken together, the introductions, annotations, and foreword by Gwen Westerman transform Mary Renville's captivity narrative from an apparently 'simple' statement of experience into a deeply contextualized historical documents."-Catherine J. Denial, Minnesota History "[A Thrilling Narrative of Indian Captivity] is an essential primary and secondary source for historians interested in the years leading up to, and through, the Dakota War of 1862. Literary critics specializing in captivity narratives will also find much of value in the reprint of this obscure text."-Linda Clemmons, South Dakota History "An ambitious, multifaceted volume that plunges us deep into the complexities of the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War, and more specifically, into the intratribal conflicts that erupted in the wake of colonization and dispossession."-Colette Hyman, H-Net "This fascinating edition should help scholars to better understand the complexities of race, gender, and compassion through the voices of those who struggled with them in their own lives."-Michael Knock, Annals of Iowa "It is wonderfully written, an exemplary contribution to the literature of the Dakota War, a model of academic inquiry and deep understanding grounded in primary sources. . . . [It] is also a document of a remarkable partnership"-Scott W. Berg, Minnesota's Heritage "Anyone looking to further their understanding of the culture and trials of this turbulent time in America's history can't do better than this excellent book."-Monsters and Critics
