I am retired and spend many hours remembering and writing stories concerning my younger life in Missouri. Since some of my ancestors were full blooded Cherokee Indian I have always felt the Indian in me throughout my life. I lived worked and hunted on my families farm from when I was 4 years old until I was 18. We raised and harvested or hunted for most of our food. My parents sold this farm many years ago but the look and feel is still i my mind clearly as if it was yesterday. In my mind I can see the Quiver River shinning in the distance as I watch for the Deer. I imagined in my story, the young Osage Brave that I wrote about, lived and grew up in the same area where I had lived on my family's farm in Missouri. The area features are the same and it has the same look today and the Deer feed in the same places. I used to sit on the bluff as I described in the story and watch the wolf cubs playing around the small cave where Mentoc got his own cub. The Indian Graves are located where I describe them on the farm. My father and I decided to never dig into the graves to desecrate them. We found many Arrow Heads and a few Axe Heads while plowing the ground in the bottoms near the Quiver River using a plow pulled by three horses prior to planting each spring. I have hunted the same areas and have traveled the same paths as Mentoc. I got my first Deer on this farm. I got my first Rabbit, Squirrel and Quail (usually for our supper) here also. I have hunted with a Bow and Arrow but was not as successful as my ancestors.
Mentoc
An Indian Story
by J. Dandridge
Mentoc
An Indian Story
by J. Dandridge
Published Mar 13, 2015
65 Pages
Genre: FICTION / Action & Adventure
Book Details
Mentoc is an Osage Indian Brave growing up in the hills of Missouri.
This Story is of a young Indian Brave and his adventures of growing up as an Indian Brave and the things he will go through to prove his worthiness to show he is able to be a respected Brave and to be accepted by his chosen wife. Falling Rock. He describes hunting and everyday life as an Indian Brave.
Book Excerpt
My name is Mentoc. I am a young warrior of the Osage Tribe of People located just west of the Great River of Rivers. Mentoc is a very important name in my tribe and is reserved for the first son of the White Chief, Men-Toc-Na. This is one of the largest camps of my people located this far towards the sitting sun. This gives us a large advantage as most of the other tribes of people do not want to engage in war with such a large tribe of people as the Osage. Thus we have some of the best land to plant our crops in and some of the best areas to hunt.