Books by "John Wesley Wilbarger"
4 books found
The Medicine-Men of the Apache offers a closely observed ethnography of Apache healers: their rites, chants, materia medica, cosmology, and social authority. Bourke alternates translated incantations with case sketches and careful inventories of paraphernalia, embedding practice within mythic etiologies. Stylistically, it blends taxonomic catalog with vivid field reportage, typical of late-nineteenth-century Bureau of Ethnology work, rich in lexical notes and ritual choreography yet inflected by period classifications that merit critical reading. An Irish-American soldier-scholar, Bourke served as aide to General George Crook and spent years among Apache scouts and reservation communities, filling notebooks with linguistic gleanings and ethnographic detail. Access mediated by interpreters and pragmatic alliances brought him to ritual specialists. The study reflects his broader corpus, from On the Border with Crook to The Snake-Dance of the Moquis, and his salvage impulse, even as his colonial vantage inevitably delimited perception and nomenclature. Readers in anthropology, Indigenous studies, and the history of medicine will find an essential primary source: empirically rich, interpretively fraught, and enduringly instructive. Approach it critically and comparatively, alongside contemporary Apache voices, and the book yields granular evidence for understanding ritual, authority, and knowledge under conditions of upheaval. Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable—distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.
This volume, first published in 1889, is one of the most thorough accounts of Indian warfare in Texas.
In "An Apache Campaign In The Sierra Madre," John Gregory Bourke meticulously chronicles the military expeditions against Apache tribes in Mexico's Sierra Madre region during the late 19th century. Bourke's narrative combines vivid descriptions of the terrain with a keen analysis of the cultural complexities that defined Apache life. His literary style reflects a blend of historical documentation and personal memoir, offering readers an intimate glimpse into the challenges and ethics of frontier military campaigns. His writing serves as a pertinent commentary on the broader implications of U.S. military policy towards Indigenous peoples and the landscapes they inhabited. John Gregory Bourke, a soldier and ethnographer, had firsthand experience with the Apache, which informed his perspectives on their culture and conflicts. His extensive travels and interactions with various Indigenous groups provided him a unique lens through which to view the events he documented. Bourke's background as a soldier and his later passion for ethnology led him to write this critical account, aiming to shed light on the injustices faced by the Apache tribes amidst the backdrop of U.S. expansionism. This book is essential reading for those interested in American history, military strategy, and indigenous studies. Bourke's insights make it a rich resource for scholars and casual readers alike, inviting a deeper understanding of the nuances and tragedies intertwined with the U.S. government's interactions with the Apache people. In this enriched edition, we have carefully created added value for your reading experience: - A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes. - The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists. - A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing. - A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings. - Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Indian Depredations in Texas assembles scores of accounts of raids, rescues, captivities, and skirmishes that shaped the nineteenth‐century Texas frontier. Arranged as an episodic chronicle dense with names, dates, and locales, it blends documentary citation with vivid storytelling to move county by county across the borderlands. The style is plainspoken yet often sensational, typical of late‐century regional histories, and its evidentiary core—eyewitness reminiscences and newspaper gleanings—makes it invaluable, even as its settler vantage and racialized language demand careful, contextual reading. John Wesley Wilbarger, a long‐time Texan with intimate family experience of frontier violence, spent years collecting testimonies from survivors, kin, and local officials and supplementing them with archival materials. The near-fatal scalping of a close relative sharpened his memorial purpose, even as it intensified a partisan lens on conflict. This volume rewards historians of Texas, borderlands scholars, genealogists, and general readers seeking granular texture. Read it as a primary source to be annotated—paired with Indigenous histories and modern ethnohistory—rather than a definitive judgment on a violent past. Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable—distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.