Chronology of American Indian History

1891

Sophia Alice Callahan’s A Child of the Forest
is published.
A Child of the Forest, by Sophia Alice Callahan,
is possibly the first published novel written by an
American Indian woman. A schoolteacher in Musk-
ogee Indian Territory, the 23-year-old Callahan is
the daughter of a prominent Creek merchant and
farmer who was long involved in Creek politics.
Her novel tells the story of a young Creek woman
who learns to live comfortably in both the Creek
and white worlds while under the tutelage of a
white southern woman. Drawing on contemporary
news stories, the last portion of the book shifts the

focus to Lakota Sioux territory and castigates the

U.S. government for its actions in the events lead-

ing up to the Wounded Knee Masacre (see entry for

DECEMBER 29, 1890).

Alaskan Natives begin herding reindeer.

Serving as a Presbyterian missionary in Alaska,

non-Indian Sheldon Jackson introduces reindeer

herding to Inuit in the region. With whale har-

vest decreasing, Jackson hopes that reindeer will

provide Inuit hunters with a new source of skins

and meat. Eventually funded by the U.S. govern-

ment, the missionary’s efforts bring nearly 1,300

Siberian reindeer to Alaska. At local missions, the

Inuit are instructed in caring for the animals by

Bering Strait Inuit corralling a reindeer herd, drawn with ink on hide by Inuit artist George Ahgupuk (The
Anchorage Museum of History and Art, 70-156-2 detail 4.2)