Mourning Dove (author)
Christine Quintasket | |
|---|---|
| Hum-ishu-ma | |
Mourning Dove, c. 1915 | |
| Okanagan (Syilx), Arrow Lakes (Sinixit), and Colville leader | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1884 near Bonners Ferry, Idaho |
| Died | August 8, 1936 (aged 51–52) |
| Cause of death | Flu |
| Resting place | Omak Memorial Cemetery, WA |
| Spouse | Hector McLeod (Flathead) Fred Galler (Wenatchee) |
| Parent |
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| Known for | Writing books: Cogewea: The Half-Blood (1927) |
| Nickname | Mourning Dove |
Mourning Dove (born Christine Quintasket) or Humishuma was a Native American (Okanogan (Syilx), Arrow Lakes (Sinixt), and Colville) author best known for her 1927 novel Cogewea, the Half-Blood: A Depiction of the Great Montana Cattle Range and her 1933 work Coyote Stories.
Cogewea was one of the first novels to be written by a Native American woman and to feature a female protagonist. It explores the lives of Cogewea, a mixed-blood heroine whose ranching skills, riding prowess, and bravery are noted and greatly respected by the primarily mixed-race cowboys on the ranch on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The eponymous main character hires a greenhorn easterner, Alfred Densmore, who has designs on Cogewea's land, which she had received as head of household in an allotment under the Dawes Act.
Coyote Stories (1933) is a collection of what Mourning Dove called Native American folklore.