Cherokee Patriot Day celebrates Ned Christie

Ned Christie to be celebrated during ‘Cherokee Patriot Day’

By Will Chavez“Cherokee Patriot Day” on Aug. 19 will celebrate the life of Ned Christie while raising money for the cemetery where he is buried.

“Nations celebrate their legendary patriots, honor their memory and the enduring love they had for their Nation. The Cherokee Nation has such a patriot in Ned Christie,” Hamilton said.

According to CN historical documents, Christie is considered a patriot not only because of his service to the CN as Cherokee senator but also because of his stand against the U.S. government.Comment:  For more on Ned Christie, see Greg Burgas Reviews NATIVE HEART and Mock Trial for Ned Christie.

Greg Burgas reviews Native Heart

Here's another review for the graphic novel I covered in Review of Native Heart. You can read the whole review, but I'll give you the highlights:

A review a day:  Native Heart

By Greg BurgasThere’s a lot to like about this comic, even though it’s not perfect.

McMurtry does a marvelous job with the art, which is the stronger part of the book by far. Occasionally his faces are a bit grotesque and unreal. ... But other than that, the book reminds me of classic Western paintings, with delicate linework and expansive vistas even when the scene is a bit more claustrophobic.

McMurtry’s story doesn’t hold up as well, unfortunately. It’s not terrible and it’s interesting to read because we get to know something about a person we may not know much about. ... McMurtry doesn’t get into his life enough prior to the murder, although he does try.

This is a refreshing book because it doesn’t show Native Americans who are battling to hold onto their lifestyles in the face of American encroachment--there’s nothing wrong with that story, but we’ve seen it before--it’s a story of a tribe who holds onto some aspects of their traditional culture but also tries to do what the Americans claim they wanted the Indians to do...and it still doesn’t matter.

Despite the gaps in the storytelling, McMurtry does some nice work. He moves the tale along well, and the brief insights he gives us into Christie’s life and world are better than nothing, to be sure. It just seems like Christie was far more interesting in real life than he is in this comic, and that’s too bad.

You can get this book at McMurtry’s web site, where you can also find some other stuff he’s done. I imagine he’ll get better at writing, which will make his books much better. He’s an interesting talent and I hope to see more from him.Comment:  For more on Christie, see Mock Trial for Ned Christie. For more on the Native comic books, see Comic Books Featuring Indians.

Review of Native Heart

In Mock Trial for Ned Christie, I noted the history of this Cherokee statesman, outlaw, and folk hero. Now here's a graphic novel by Robby McMurtry:

Native Heart: The Life and Times of Ned Christie, Cherokee Patriot and Renegade

McMurtry is an artist and teacher of Irish, Cajun, and Comanche descent. In Native Heart he presents Ned Christie's life in a fast-moving 100 pages.

In the first 40 pages, we see Christie growing up, learning to shoot, and taking on responsibilities. Eventually he goes to represent his people in the Cherokee capital.

Christie's upbringing isn't exceptional, but McMurtry gives us a good sense of what Oklahoma's Indian territory was like. It's reminiscent of the Old West, with one-street towns and isolated cabins, but with forests and streams instead of deserts and scrub brush.

Every so often McMurtry includes a lyrical page of art like the one below:



These pages suggest how the Cherokee differ from their non-Indian neighbors. They see beyond the physical to a world of dreams and visions. For them nature is filled with spirit and wonder.

I don't know much about Christie, but the story seems faithful to his life. There are no obvious mistakes or stereotypes--no chiefs, tipis, shamans, wise elders, or sexy maidens. The only shortcoming I could see was glossing over Christie's four marriages. McMurtry doesn't try to convey Christie's interior life, which is probably smart 125 years after the fact.

Hunting Ned Christie

The story kicks into high gear when Christie is wrongly accused of murder. Then it becomes an action adventure, with narrow escapes from lawmen, desperate rendezvous with kinfolk, and shootouts in log cabins. Although you know it won't end well, McMurtry makes Christie's story a triumph. (Kind of like the ending of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.)

The art ranges from solid to stunning. Consider this drawing from another book done in the same style:



I love drawings like this. The horse and rider look as if they've been sculpted out of the background. It's hard to convince yourself that this three-dimensional drawing is only two-dimensional.

A few minor criticisms

Only a couple things mar this fine work. Christie's five years as an outlaw, which take up the last 60 pages, are more captivating than his previous 35 years. Rather than tell the story chronologically, McMurtry might've shown Christie's early life in flashbacks. It would've given Christie something to ponder while he was fleeing his pursuers. And it would've put readers into the heart of Native Heart immediately.

Also, the book only 6" x 9", and the interior art is even smaller: 4" x 5.75", the size of a postcard or photograph. Some panels aren't much bigger than postage stamps. No doubt cost was a factor, but I wish the book were larger. The art deserves to be seen in all its glory.

All in all, Native Heart is the best Native graphic novel I've seen in years. With its fine line art and attention to detail, it belongs on the shelf with the Sitting Bull and Comanche Moon graphic novels. And with 100 pages for less than $10 on Amazon.com, it's a good deal in this era of overpriced comics.

For more on the subject, see Comic Books Featuring Indians.

Mock trial for Ned Christie

Trial of Ned Christie called to order after 118 years

Mock trial will be an educational experience for the communityNed Christie will finally be tried in the Cherokee courts on the accusation of the murder of U.S. Deputy Maples. Christie was accused of the murder, but was never tried by a jury of his peers, until now–June 25 and 26, at the Cherokee National Capitol at 100 South Muskogee Ave., in Tahlequah.And:Christie was assassinated on Nov. 3, 1892, after a five-year standoff with the federal government following the allegation of murder of Daniel Maples in May 1887. Denied the right to an Indian court trial due to the federal government’s intervention, Christie was bound to the jurisdiction of the United States Court for the Western District of Arkansas in Fort Smith, Ark., which had oversight of Indian Territory under Judge Isaac C. Parker. Refusing to stand trial in a “white man’s court” under the “Hangin’ Judge,” Christie elected to remain at large while justice was sought. In 1918, 26 years after Christie’s assassination, an individual who was also at the scene on the night of Maples’ murder exonerated Christie for the crime with testimony of the facts and the naming of the true killer.Some background on Christie:

Ned ChristieNed Christie (December 14, 1852–November 3, 1892), also known as NeDe WaDe (Cherokee), was a Cherokee statesman. Ned was a member of the executive council (1885) in the Cherokee Nation senate, and served as one of three advisors to Chief Bushyhead. He was notable for holding off US forces after being accused of murdering a US marshal. This gave him notoriety as an outlaw, and he was eventually killed by US Marshals.