critical book review

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The Texas Cherokees: A People Between Two Fires, 1918-1940. By Dianna Everett. (University

of Oklahoma Press, 1990. Preface, illustrations, maps, epilogue, notes, bibliography, index.

$19.95 paperback).

In this short read the author, Dianna Everett who holds a doctorate in history from Texas

Tech University, outlines a twenty-year period in which Cherokee’s who ventured west in search

of new lands away from the European settlers, are caught the crossfire between two opposing

forces. Specifically, between the European settlers pushing to gain new ground west of the

Mississippi and Mexican forces aiming to prevent the settlers from entering Texas. In Addition,

the Texas Cherokees are forced to navigate the murky political waters of the unstable Mexican

government to procure valid and recognized documentation of land ownership in Texas, ward off

attacks from nomadic tribes, maintain alliances and pledge allegiances with the opposing forces

to give themselves the upper hand so that they can secure a home in Texas once the victor has

been established, all while trying to maintain inter-tribal peace.

The Author breaks down her case study into five chapters, which is followed by about

twenty pages of Everett’s notes, as well as the bibliography. Prior the five chapters, the preface

of the book provides the reader with an overview of the “between two fires” type of struggle the

Texas Cherokees were faced during the period, as well as the author’s gratitude for all of those

who contributed to the case study, which led to a doctoral dissertation.

The first section of the case study outlines where and why some Cherokees tribes

migrated to the west of the Mississippi in search of better lands, away from the white settlers, as

well as some of the key individuals of the story, specifically, the leader of the Texas Cherokees,

Chief Duwali. This section of the text is somewhat challenging to follow at times, as it is filled

with dates that are not outlined in exact chronological order and geological locations that were

known by one name at the time but are now known by a different name. For example, the

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Cherokee’s settled in the valley of the St. Francis river area, which is now known as Missouri

and Arkansas (10). Albeit impressive, it is my opinion that the author may have unintendedly

tangled up the audience by not painting a clearer picture of when and where the events of this

story unfolded.

The second section of the book examines how the Cherokee attempted to secure land

grants from the Mexican government after they claimed independence from Spanish rule. I

found this section to better configured than the previous and the author did an excellent job of

pulling the reader into the frustration and challenges the Cherokees faced while trying to

persuade the Mexican government to provide them with a land grant. Per rumors, some even

speculated that the Cherokee provoked attacks by the Comanche to provoke or blackmail the

Mexican government into providing the Cherokees a land grant. Unfortunately, rumors are just

that and I would have preferred the author to stick to just the known facts.

The subsequent two chapters to follow provide a view of the rising action, climax, falling

action of the Texas Cherokee story. I found these two sections of the text most interesting

because of the level of detail the author provides on the different tribes, as well as the estimated

number of Indian families that settled in Texas. Furthermore, the reader is provided with an in-

depth look at how the Texas Revolution took place, the people involved on both sides, and the

tough situations that Chief Duwali found himself in when trying to decide which force his people

were better off with. In addition, the reader is introduced to Sam Houston, his history with the

Cherokee as a child, and the affection he held for them.

In the book’s finally, the tone of the story shifts from one of struggle to one of defeat and

loss. The Cherokee had been divided and played by both sides of the fence, and when the dust

finally settled, Texas had won its independence from Mexico and the Cherokee were forced to

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abandon their homes, crops, and livestock and were forced to relocate to Indian Territory in

Oklahoma.

Overall Everett successfully captured the frustration of the Texas Cherokee during the

period by detailing the numerous attempts made by Duwali, as well as others to convene and

work with Mexican, Texan, and other tribes throughout the period. However, there are numerous

occasions throughout the text where Everett utilizes assuming language, such as “possibly,” and

“must have,” which could make a reader question the validity of some aspects of the case study.

Despite these flaws, I found the book to be insightful and worth reading because, without these

types of texts, the stories of our Texas heritage would be lost.