Jeremiah Johnson

[displacedtexan]

There aren't any accounts written by American Indians during that time. Their traditions were passed down orally through stories, songs, etc. Sequoyah invented written language for the Cherokee in the 1820's, and to my knowledge that's the only complete written tribal language.

I do remember reading about a missionary who came out from the East and was appalled by the behavior of the white fur trappers because they had become like the "uncivilized" natives. There are several similar accounts regarding the longhunters that predate the mountain men of the Rockies. Those men spent more time around the tribes than they did their own people, so it's no surprise they adopted many of their ways.

There's a couple of others that have written languages. (Navajo, Creek, I honestly can't remember offhand.)

But they are all from the same time period, they were all oral traditions.

 

[jayhawk]

There's a couple of others that have written languages. (Navajo, Creek, I honestly can't remember offhand.)

But they are all from the same time period, they were all oral traditions.

Hmm . . . I'm going to look more into it to make sure my original post was accurate. I know there were attempts to construct a written language for the Navajo, but it was english speakers who tried it. The tribe had no native written language to my knowledge.
It's one of the reasons the code talkers in WWII were so successful. There were no methods of obtaining a translation without a native speaker. Seeing as there were no Navajos in Japan, they could not even begin to decipher the language and its codes.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Which Crow Killer version did you read? I want to add to my list. The reviews on Amazon are bad tho so I’m confused on the versions and if the story’s are true or exaggerated.

Anyone got any other favorite mountain man books to recommend? I’m about to finish Boone by Robert Morgan and need another…

 

[displacedtexan]

Hmm . . . I'm going to look more into it to make sure my original post was accurate. I know there were attempts to construct a written language for the Navajo, but it was english speakers who tried it. The tribe had no native written language to my knowledge.
It's one of the reasons the code talkers in WWII were so successful. There were no methods of obtaining a translation without a native speaker. Seeing as there were no Navajos in Japan, they could not even begin to decipher the language and its codes.

I could definitely be off on when it got a little written form... I just know I've seen books in Navajo!

99% sure it's the Latin alphabet, adapted to Navajo pronunciation.

 

[ScottP]

Which Crow Killer version did you read? I want to add to my list. The reviews on Amazon are bad tho so I’m confused on the versions and if the story’s are true or exaggerated.

Anyone got any other favorite mountain man books to recommend? I’m about to finish Boone by Robert Morgan and need another…

Journal of a Trapper by Osborne Russell
worth it for the description of the wildlife and sheer amount of country they traveled.

 

[CCH]

Non-fiction is one of the most abused terms in publishing. All historical writing will have its inaccuracies. Evaluate your sources, sort of like you should for any information. Generally the truth is some amalgam of what you piece together and even then not the whole picture. JJ is a compelling story regardless of source though.

 

[roadrunner]

There aren't any accounts written by American Indians during that time. Their traditions were passed down orally through stories, songs, etc. Sequoyah invented written language for the Cherokee in the 1820's, and to my knowledge that's the only complete written tribal language.

I do remember reading about a missionary who came out from the East and was appalled by the behavior of the white fur trappers because they had become like the "uncivilized" natives. There are several similar accounts regarding the longhunters that predate the mountain men of the Rockies. Those men spent more time around the tribes than they did their own people, so it's no surprise they adopted many of their ways.

The Algonquin have/had a written language far longer than before the first European arrived in the northeast. The first translated Bible into another language in America was in Algonquin in the 1600's.

 

[Wetwork]

If you are interested in native American stories I can't recommend "Yellow Wolf -his own story" enough. He was part of the Nez Perce war as they ran to Canada. Probably the best I've read and I know stuff and have read a lot.-WW

 

[jayhawk]

The Algonquin have/had a written language far longer than before the first European arrived in the northeast. The first translated Bible into another language in America was in Algonquin in the 1600's.

The whole story behind how that Bible came to be is really interesting. However, that version was translated from their unwritten language into an English derived dialect by John Eliot. It was the first time it had been done since the 4th or 5th Century if I remember right . . .

Anyways, dropping all that and going back to the OP. Mountain Man journals are the best information you will find on tribal habits I think. If you're interested in any Eastern tribes and the longhunters, check out Joseph Doddridge's journal.

 

[Fatcamp]

Thanks buddy, only bestus of friends correct spelling

There just trying to help.

 

[gabenzeke]

Read this book a few years ago, and it's great. It got me on a kick reading mountain man books and after it's all said and done, I'm pretty sure undaunted courage is my favorite. But this one is top five for sure!

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[gabenzeke]

Which Crow Killer version did you read? I want to add to my list. The reviews on Amazon are bad tho so I’m confused on the versions and if the story’s are true or exaggerated.

Anyone got any other favorite mountain man books to recommend? I’m about to finish Boone by Robert Morgan and need another…

Pretty much any mountain man stories are going to be exaggerated to some extent. I'm sure this one has plenty of exaggeration. But if you can suspend your disbelief, it's worth it.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[Brunson84]

Tag


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mojave Kid]

I would add the following (unless mentioned already):
Tales of the Mountain Men by Lamar Underwood
Voices from the wilderness edited by Thomas Froncek
Buffalo Days by Colonel Homer W. Wheeler

I am always on the look out for mountain man books at the used book stores.

 

[Bluegrassvw]

The Frontiersmen
By Allan W. Eckert

Wonderful book about the settlement of KY/OH. He has a couple really good books based around the French and Indian war.

He writes based on hard facts but it’s written as a novel.

 

[Bubblehide]

Every one that can't get their head around the fact that it's Hawken, not Hawkins, should be held under water until the bubbles stop.

They're probably the same people that advertise their stuff 'For sell'

When Hawken's put his rifle for sell, I bought myself a Hawken, and Hawkins was left a very jealous man.

 

[MrWolf]

Hey guys, OP here, just got in a bit of trouble because I didn't read the rules like a dumb ass.
Thank you for all the recommendations, my amazon list is getting quite large!

 

[MrWolf]

Which Crow Killer version did you read? I want to add to my list. The reviews on Amazon are bad tho so I’m confused on the versions and if the story’s are true or exaggerated.

Anyone got any other favorite mountain man books to recommend? I’m about to finish Boone by Robert Morgan and need another…

I snagged the newest paperback off amazon, has a new forward from a guy in Laramie, WY.

 

[Kilboars]

Non-fiction is one of the most abused terms in publishing. All historical writing will have its inaccuracies. Evaluate your sources, sort of like you should for any information. Generally the truth is some amalgam of what you piece together and even then not the whole picture. JJ is a compelling story regardless of source though.

Much like reading the news today


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ancient_Archer]

Try
Mountain Man: Join Colter, the Lewis and Clark Expedition and Call of the American West, by David Weston Marshall. Great details about how the natives helped Colter and nearly killed him too.