Even As We Breathe

Though most current scholarship considers it inappropriate to use the Western European title “Indian” to describe Indigenous Americans, the official name of the Indigenous nation to which Clapsaddle and the Cherokee characters in the narrative belong is the “Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.” The author is the first member of this nation to publish a novel. True to its background and themes, historical references and cultural asides saturate the narrative. Knowledge of the Cherokee people can aid readers in understanding the nuances and perceiving the ironies that are replete throughout the novel. For example, Cowney’s last name implies that he is a relative of Sequoyah, the scholar who created the Cherokee syllabary in 1821, making the Cherokees the first Indigenous nation with its own written language.

Facing occupation by the United States in the early 19th century, most bands of the Cherokees united under the leadership of Chief John Ross and fought with General Andrew Jackson to subdue the Muscogee Red Stick band. Subsequently, many of the 500 Cherokee volunteers participated with Jackson’s forces in the Battle of New Orleans. Despite their allegiance to him, two decades later Jackson ordered the Cherokees to assemble under the Indian Removal Act.