William Apes, the author of the following narrative is a native of the American soil, and a descendant of one of the principal chiefs of the Pequod Tribe, so well known in that part of American history called King Philip’s Wars. It was written under many disadvantages, and the bare acknowledgment of his entire want of a common education, will, he hopes, be a sufficient apology for any inaccuracies that may occur. In offering to the public this little volume, containing the leading features in the eventful life of a Son of the Forest, the author would in the outset bespeak for the work a favorable reception. Typesetting: Westchester Publishing Services CONTENTS This edition published by Mint Editions 2021. Read moreĪ Son of the Forest: The Experience of William Apes was first published in 1829. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of William Apes’ A Son of the Forest is a classic of Native American literature reimagined for modern readers. A Son of the Forest is a groundbreaking autobiography from a pioneering author and activist of the early nineteenth century. From the reaction of his foster family, he realizes for the first time in his life the inherent racial biases he has absorbed despite recognizing his own Pequot heritage. But the whites did not tell me that they were in a great majority of instances the aggressors-that they had imbrued their hands in the life blood of my brethren, driven them from their once peaceful and happy homes…” While out on a berry picking expedition as a boy, William-by then living as an indentured servant with a local white family-spots a group of Native women. “he great fear I entertained of my brethren, was occasioned by the many stories I had heard of their cruelty towards the whites-how they were in the habit of killing and scalping men, women and children. His autobiography explores the psychological effects of oppression, addiction, and cultural change from the viewpoint of a man who experienced them all. Recognized for his pioneering status as a Native American public figure, William Apes was an astute recorder of a life in between. An indentured servant, soldier, minister, and activist, Apes lived an uncommonly rich life for someone who died at just 41 years of age. After preaching and then publishing an excoriating eulogy for King Philip in 1836, Apess fell into obscurity.A Son of the Forest (1829) is an autobiography by William Apes. However, dogged by alcoholism and with an increasing sense of injustice at white treatment of Natives, he gradually lost the respect in which he had been held, with even Mashpee groups distancing themselves from him. This led to the so-called Mashpee Revolt - in reality a peaceful protest by Natives lead by Apess, which was met with threats of military force by the State Governor Levi Lincoln, Jr.ĭuring the period 1831-1836, Apess published several sermons, and became known as a powerful speaker. In 1833, following a visit to the town of Mashpee, the largest Native town in Massachusetts, Apess became convinced that the State was acting illegally in denying the Mashpees self-government. It uses the format of the spiritual confession to ironically comment on white prejudices about Natives.Īs was the Methodist practice of the day, Apess and his family became itinerants, preaching in meetings all over New England to mixed congregations that would have included Native, Euro-American and African-American worshippers. Written at least partly in reaction to advocates of Indian Removal, including President-to-be Andrew Jackson, this autobiography was the first wholly Native-authored book to be published. In the same year he published A Son of the Forest: The Experience of William Apess, A Native of the Forest, Comprising a Notice of the Pequod Tribe of Indians, Written by Himself, his autobiography. During this period he became ever more convinced of a vocation to preach, and in 1829 he was ordained as a Methodist minister. In 1821, Apess married Mary Wood, and the couple went on to have three children.
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