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Alhalla, or the Lord of Talladega: A Tale of the Creek War. / With Some Selected Miscellanies, Chiefly of Early Date. cover

Alhalla, or the Lord of Talladega: A Tale of the Creek War. / With Some Selected Miscellanies, Chiefly of Early Date.

Chapter 24: THE CHIPPEWA GIRL.
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About This Book

A historical tale set just after the Creek War portrays the Muscogee (Creek) nation's resistance, its military engagements, and the personal and communal consequences of defeat. Action is concentrated into a brief, dramatic period and delivered through a mix of narrative description and staged speeches that aim to evoke Native oratory and landscape. Supplementary miscellanies and occasional verse frame the main story and provide ethnographic detail. Recurring themes include loss of sovereignty, cultural memory and dignity, the clash between indigenous societies and expanding American forces, and the emotional aftermath of warfare, all rendered with a blend of romantic imagery and observational comment.

THE CHIPPEWA GIRL.

They tell me, the men with a white-white face Belong to a purer, nobler race; But why, if they do, and it may be so, Do their tongues cry, “yes”—and their actions, “no?”
They tell me, that white is a heavenly hue, And it may be so, but the sky is blue; And the first of men—as our old men say, Had earth-brown skins, and were made of clay.
But throughout my life, I’ve heard it said, There’s nothing surpasses a tint of red; Oh, the white man’s cheeks look pale and sad, Compared to my beautiful Indian lad.
Then let them talk of their race divine, Their glittering domes, and sparkling wine; Give me a lodge, like my fathers had, And my tall, straight, beautiful Indian lad.