O-gî-mäw-kwě Mit-i-gwä-kî

O-gî-mäw-kwě Mit-i-gwä-kî (1899) is a novel by Simon Pokagon. Published posthumously, the novel is a semi-autobiographical story of adventure, romance, and tragedy set in the American Midwest. O-gî-mäw-kwě Mit-i-gwä-kî reflects the themes and concerns that shaped Pokagon’s life as a writer and activist, including the devastating effects of alcohol on Native Americans and the increasing pressures of modernization on indigenous tradition. Both personal and political, O-gî-mäw-kwě Mit-i-gwä-kî is a vastly underappreciated novel by a pioneering Native American author.

“On my return home from Twinsburg, Ohio, where I had attended the white man’s school for several years, I had an innate desire to retire into the wild woods, far from the haunts of civilization, and there enjoy myself with bow and arrow, hook and line, as I had done before going to school.” After years of hard work at some of the most prestigious institutions in the Midwest, Simon Pokagon longs to return to the places and people of his youth. On his journey home, he reconnects with his old friend Bertrand, who takes him into the woods to hunt, fish, and build a birch canoe. Back with his tribe, Simon goes looking for his sweetheart Lonidaw, who agrees to marry him. Together, they build a new wigwam and live a hunter gatherer lifestyle, sustaining themselves on a diet of fish and wild rice. While their early days together are idyllic, they face tragedy later in life as their children—now grown—suffer from the effects of alcoholism.

This edition of Simon Pokagon’s O-gî-mäw-kwě Mit-i-gwä-kî is a classic work of Native American literature reimagined for modern readers. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

© 2021 Mint Editions (Ebook): 9781513288413

Release date

Ebook: 27 April 2021