‘Myth Makers’ tells a historical tale about the Cherokee Tribe

 

story and photos by Ruby Dean
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Isaac Smoke could neither read nor write but when he heard the white man’s creation story, he closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue.

“Paper talks,” the medicine man hissed. He had other uses for the Indian newspaper that cost all of $2.50 a year.

Above is an excerpt from the book “The Myth Makers” by author J. Houston-Emerson.

The Fort Smith Museum of History held a reading and book signing with Judith Houston-Emerson on Saturday (Mar. 19). Guests arrived early and mingled before Emerson discussed her family heritage and her book.

After discussing her Cherokee heritage, Emerson read from her book, which is a work of historical fiction but based on facts. The book took Emerson more than four years to write and publish. She has already started to work on the sequel.

“The Myth Makers” starts in the early 1800s and ends in 1838 with the arrival of her ancestors in Tahlequah. It deals with witchcraft, missionaries, and white intrusion of every kind. Emerson weaves a historical tale about her Cherokee forbearers, their lives and belief systems and the wondrous world of mythic animals before their removal.

In her book, Emerson covers aspects of Cherokee history that’s not been covered — their beliefs and myths. She also tried to draw on Indian humor in the book — a mechanism she feels they used to cope with the horrific events that happened to them on their journey on The Trail of Tears.

When asked which part of the book was the hardest to write about it, Emerson replied, “the suffering the Cherokee Indians endured both by the hands of the white people and the forced relocation from their homes to the Indian Territory.”

Houston-Emerson is also a visual artist. She studied art history, drawing and sculpture in Florence, Italy and La Coste, France. She has also attended the Academy of Realist Art in Santa Fe, N.M.

“I have lived an exciting life and traveled in some glamorous circles, but my father particularly, always told me to remember who I was and where I came from, and to never discount it. My Native American history here is very important to me,” Emerson said.