is an autobiographical portrait of John Joseph Mathews, covering a ten-year period beginning in 1932 of relative isolation on the northern Oklahoma prairie. Joseph, who was ⅛ Osage Native American, was educated at the University of Oklahoma and at Oxford. His educated, worldly awareness figures into his personal account of his life of seclusion, which is presented in implicit contrast to his work as a national diplomat on behalf of the Osage people, and even, to some degree, his life as a writer. Mathews was born in Indian Territory (before Oklahoma statehood) in 1895 – Osage Tribal Agency records say 1894 (Snyder 4). He died in 1979 having authored several books now considered significant in Native American studies, including:
Wah’Kon-Tah:
The Osage and the2636 words
Citation: Hada, Ken. "Talking to the Moon". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 August 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40544, accessed 21 November 2024.]
