“Injun Summer” Lives On In Spirit

As days grow shorter, I came across legendary film critic Roger Ebert’s Sept 24, 2011 post relating his sadness over removal of John McCutcheon’s pictorial “Injun Summer” ode to Native Americans from Chicago Tribune’s annual spread due to PC revisionism. History might still weep heep big over such ignorance. But, decide yourself now about alleged “racism” vs “honest portrait of history” from this excerpt of the accompanying nostalgic story told by an Indiana grandpa waxing long in a cornfield about his 1870s childhood to an enraptured young grandson. It had been published this time of year & enjoyed nationally from 1912 until the “insensitive” label stuck toward end of century:

“Yep, sonny, this is sure enough Injun summer. Don’t know what that is, I reckon, do you? Well, that’s when all the homesick Injuns come back to play. You know, a long time ago, long afore yer granddaddy was born even, there used to be heaps of Injuns around here—thousands—millions, I reckon … Reg’lar sure ’nough Injuns—none o’ yer cigar store Injuns, not much. They wiz all around here—right here where you’re standin’.

Don’t be skeered—hain’t none around here now ... They been gone this many a year. They all went away and died, so they ain’t no more left. But every year, ‘long about now, they all come back, leastways their sperrits do. They’re here now. You can see ‘em off across the fields ... See that kind o’ hazy, misty look out yonder? Well, then’s Injun sperrits marchin’ along an’ dancin’ in the sunlight … See off yonder; see them tepees? They kind o’ look like corn shocks from here, but then’s Injun tents, sure as you’re a foot high … Smell that smoky sort o’ smell in the air? That’s the campfires a-burnin’ and their pipes … an’ th’ Injuns are hoppin’ ‘round ‘em t’beat the old Harry …”

Davd Soul