
Traitor
The Life and Assassination of John Dunn Hunter, American Radical
Andy Doolen(Author)
Johns Hopkins University Press
Will be published approx. on 27. January 2026
Book
Hardback
392 pages
978-1-4214-5328-6 (ISBN)
Description
The story of John Dunn Hunter's remarkable life, tragic betrayal, and disgraceful murder.
John Dunn Hunter was many things: a frontier hero, a writer, a celebrity at home and abroad, and, ultimately, the victim of a deadly conspiracy. Born to white parents in 1800, he was captured as a young child by the Kickapoo and later raised by the Kansa and then the Osage. As a young man, he left his Osage family and crossed the Mississippi into the United States, where he became an ardent and persuasive voice in favor of Indigenous sovereignty in the face of western expansion and the removal of native populations.
In this gripping biography, Andy Doolen chronicles Hunter's compelling life and disgraceful murder. Often referred to as the "white Indian," Hunter published a gripping account of his life story and held court with esteemed figures of his day, from Presidents Jefferson and Madison to the Duke of Sussex and visionary reformer Robert Owen. But advocating for the rights of Indigenous people and nations painted a target on his back. Officials in the War Department accused him of being an imposter and the author of a hoax, but Hunter never had the chance to defend himself. He was in Texas at the time, one of the leaders in a pan-Indian movement for sovereignty, when he was assassinated in the infamous Fredonian Rebellion.
Although Hunter could not have known it at the time, he was at the vanguard of a movement for an inclusive vision of democracy that embraced Indigenous rights and humanity rather than excluding and denying them. Hunter's story is a stark reminder of the work that still must be done to fulfill the promises of the American experiment.
John Dunn Hunter was many things: a frontier hero, a writer, a celebrity at home and abroad, and, ultimately, the victim of a deadly conspiracy. Born to white parents in 1800, he was captured as a young child by the Kickapoo and later raised by the Kansa and then the Osage. As a young man, he left his Osage family and crossed the Mississippi into the United States, where he became an ardent and persuasive voice in favor of Indigenous sovereignty in the face of western expansion and the removal of native populations.
In this gripping biography, Andy Doolen chronicles Hunter's compelling life and disgraceful murder. Often referred to as the "white Indian," Hunter published a gripping account of his life story and held court with esteemed figures of his day, from Presidents Jefferson and Madison to the Duke of Sussex and visionary reformer Robert Owen. But advocating for the rights of Indigenous people and nations painted a target on his back. Officials in the War Department accused him of being an imposter and the author of a hoax, but Hunter never had the chance to defend himself. He was in Texas at the time, one of the leaders in a pan-Indian movement for sovereignty, when he was assassinated in the infamous Fredonian Rebellion.
Although Hunter could not have known it at the time, he was at the vanguard of a movement for an inclusive vision of democracy that embraced Indigenous rights and humanity rather than excluding and denying them. Hunter's story is a stark reminder of the work that still must be done to fulfill the promises of the American experiment.
Reviews / Votes
A skillfully spun tale of a man forgotten by history, whose story deserves to be known.-Kirkus
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
19 s/w Abbildungen
19 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
653 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4214-5328-6 (9781421453286)
DOI
10.56021/9781421453286
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Andy Doolen is a professor of English and American studies at the University of Kentucky. He is the author of Territories of Empire: US Writing from the Louisiana Purchase to Mexican Independence.
Content
A Note on Terminology
Prologue
Part I: Rise of a Freeman
1. First Years with the Kickapoos
2. Growing Up Among the Osages and Kansas
3. Western Odyssey
4. Sugar Moon
5. Sanctuary
6. Freeman
Part II: A New Existence
7. White Indian
8. Celebrity
9. Dreamers
10. Forest Shadows
Part III: Exodus
11. "Singing the Corn Songs"
12. Overland and Downriver
13. Exodus
14. Public Enemy
Part IV: Democratic Visionary
15. Promised Land
16. Faithful Friend
17. Rebellion
18. Outlaw
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Prologue
Part I: Rise of a Freeman
1. First Years with the Kickapoos
2. Growing Up Among the Osages and Kansas
3. Western Odyssey
4. Sugar Moon
5. Sanctuary
6. Freeman
Part II: A New Existence
7. White Indian
8. Celebrity
9. Dreamers
10. Forest Shadows
Part III: Exodus
11. "Singing the Corn Songs"
12. Overland and Downriver
13. Exodus
14. Public Enemy
Part IV: Democratic Visionary
15. Promised Land
16. Faithful Friend
17. Rebellion
18. Outlaw
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography