Native American Culture
Dave and I spent Thanksgiving weekend in the North Carolina mountains. First, we rode a steam train along the Tuckasegee River. On Saturday, we hiked up to Mingo Falls and then took a leisurely three-mile stroll along the Oconaluftee River in Cherokee. It seemed appropriate to wind up Native American Heritage Month in a native […]
On the path of the Cherokee Read More »
November is Native American Heritage Month. And since I am still unpacking boxes containing my research, it seems a good time to revisit some of it. When I began writing Death on the Line, I knew I needed to learn more about the native tribes in the area. I knew from Mason’s journal that the
Native American Heritage Month Read More »
Recently, several people reading Sign of Nine Stripes commented in their reviews that it was surprising the Natives spoke English so well. I hadn’t gotten that comment before, and I realized as advanced readers of the third book, they hadn’t read the first one. So perhaps I need to add that to my author’s notes.
Back to the Research Read More »
During my time as an interpreter with the 7th Virginia Regiment, my favorite topic was plants and their edible and medicinal uses. Our food displays were split into soldier’s rations and the items found in a typical home at that time of year. At any given event, children came up to look and ask questions.
Every so often, the poem, The Englishman’s Nightmare, by Tom Anderson Cairns makes the rounds. It is usually printed on tea towels and coffee mugs and tells the tale of an Englishman coming home after a hard day’s work. Everywhere he turns, he admires his modern conveniences, and while he is so proud of them,
When the Europeans arrived on the continent, they did not find the gold and silver they sought. Nor did they find exotic spices. But what they did find was an abundance of food, much of which they had never seen before. Many foods commonly eaten today were indigenous to the Americas. Whether they were first
Food, Glorious Food! Read More »
November is Native American Heritage Month. So for this month, my posts will concentrate on this theme with a different topic each week. As someone who enjoys learning about other cultures, I find language is particularly important, as it plays a significant role in any society. It is the method by which people communicate and
The Tracks We Leave Read More »
In researching the final book in the MacKay Mystery series, I delved more into the relationship between the Native Americans and the Highlanders arriving in the colonies. I had always heard these two cultures identified similarities in each other and worked well together, often intermingling. But I had no research to support these theories. Google
Highlanders & Indians Read More »