A Tutelo Heritage: An Ethnoliterary Assessment of Chief Samuel Johns' Correspondence with Dr. Frank G. Speck

Abstract / Resume During mid 1930s, Chief Samuel Johns entered into a brief correspondence with noted anthropologist Dr. Frank G. Speck. Examining this correspondence, this essay gives interpretation to ethno-literary considerations manifest in Johns' letters. Vers le milieu des annees 1930, le chef Samuel Johns a correspondu brievement avec l'anthropologue renomme Frank G. Speck. Le present article examine la correspondance des deux hommes et donne une interpretation des elements ethno-litteraires manifestes dans les lettres du chef Johns. Obscured in miasma of internecine warfare with an aggressive and expansive Iroquois Confederacy, there remains little ethnographical literature for Tutelo Indians of Monascane, central Virginia. Within Frank G. Speck papers archived at American Philosophical Society, there is, however, an intriguing correspondence from a Native Elder living on Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario. During mid 1930s, Chief Samuel Johns entered into a brief correspondence with noted University of Pennsylvania anthropologist, Dr. Frank Gouldsmith Speck. Johns initially wrote Speck from Middlemass, Ontario on September 4, 1934. In his first letter, Johns revealed his Tutelo ancestry and requested historical information regarding tribe. On December 31, 1934, Johns again wrote Speck informing him of historical findings that report Tutelo country along east branch of Susquehanna River near present day Athens, Pennsylvania. Subsequently on January 8, 1935, Johns, apparently replied to Speck, informing him of some Tutelo tradition and requesting that he visit during the balmy month of May. Finally on June 2, 1935, Johns responded to Speck with arrangements for his visit, including dinner plans. There is also a curious decline from Johns to write up a short history of people...on reserve, although he immediately recants and offers to give it a try. Given Johns interest in Tutelo, then surely this reference to our people on reserve implicates history of Tutelo among Six Nations at Grand River.1 While these letters of Chief Johns reveal an interesting insight into enduring complexity of American Indian identity,2 in this essay, I offer letters for review and explore literary and humanistic qualities of this correspondence. In this ethnocritical assessment of these letters, there are five themes that merit consideration. These include an assessment of oral tradition, a Native kinship ethos, socio-cultural traditions, Tutelo history, and Native regard for anthropology specifically Dr. Frank Speck as anthropologist. Although Speck gave considerable effort to recording Tutelo traditions,3 there remains question of a Tutelo history. While this essay cannot begin to recreate that history given its purpose of assessing ethnoliterary characteristics of Johns' letters, there are compelling reasons to investigate concerns raised by Chief Johns. Particularly significant are historical ties of Tutelo to Virginia and their tribal migration to Ontario. It is to these ends that I will attempt to address Chief Johns' inquiry and supply some short history of Tutelo while addressing his letters to Speck. During late nineteenth century considerable excitement was generated among anthropologists to discover a Siouan language among Six Nations Iroquois near Brantford, Ontario. Credit for discovering Tutelo linguistic relationship with Dakota Siouan language family was given to philologist Horatio Hale.4 While residing at Clinton, Ontario, Hale made a visit to an old Native man named Nikungha (Nikonha) said to be last survivor of Tutelos. Reported by Anderson: This venerable Indian, who has died since Mr. Hale's visit, at advanced age of a hundred and six years, or thereabout, resided on Reserve of Six Nations, near Brantford. …

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