What would have happened if in 1864, at the request of a prominent Cheyenne chief, the U.S. government had willfully bartered one thousand white women in exchange for one thousand of the tribe's best war ponies in hopes of integrating the two societies? That is exactly the premise for Jim Fergus' first novel, "One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd."
Though the plot is, at a glance, far-fetched, Fergus found his inspiration in a real life event where a Cheyenne chief did in fact approach the U.S. government with a proposal to send one thousand white women onto Indian reservations as bartered wives, with the intention of producing an integrated and peaceful American generation. The request was of course shunned by the Grant administration, and as far as the history books are concerned, no women were ever taken from the bosom of white society. However, using personal narrative to fully transport the reader to his world of historical fiction, Fergus does a brilliant job of convincing the reader otherwise.
Though the time and place are far removed from today's frame of reference, the novel's themes are relevant to any day or age. The book addresses the lengths to which one is willing to go for gender and racial equality, and even goes so far as to touch on the stigmas of the morally depraved and mentally unstable. From the ex-slave turned woman warrior, to the drunken natives at military bases and their courageous counterpart braves, topics that are constantly affecting society but have gone unspoken for centuries are non-confrontationally brought to light through intimate and lifelike fiction.
The novel is presented as a series of personal diary entries written by the irreverent outcast, May Dodd. Birthed into a high society family in Chicago, May was cast aside when she left home to live with a man well below her social stature. After having two children out of wedlock, May's family sent her to an asylum in an attempt to salvage the family good name and reputation.
May remained locked away until the day when an unorthodox ticket to freedom arrived at the asylum. The U.S. government was conducting an "experiment" in the form of a volunteer service where one thousand women would be sent to live on various Cheyenne reservations and marry tribal men. The women approached were often found in prison or insane asylums, while some were even former slaves. May jumps at the chance for adventure and freedom, with hopes of eventually being reunited with her family.
The story details the experiences of May and her companions as they struggle to adapt and survive life on the reservation. The experiences and struggles are so lifelike that they are often mundane in their matter-of-factness. Activities such as cooking, bathing and keeping warm are often addressed; however May daringly discusses the carnal differences between "civilized" and "savage" cultures. The book examines love in all its forms - betrayal, lust, and greed - while restraining the melodrama to a bearable and often unnoticeable level.
The book resists falling into farce because of the strength of its protagonist, May Dodd. Her first person accounts are candid, intelligent and honest. And her clever satire often applies not only to life in the nineteenth century but is readily applicable to goings-on in our own society. Fergus is also to be commended on his use of the female voice, as it would have been easy to rely on the superficial aspects of a female character instead of reaching inward for interesting insight.
While the plot focuses on ideas that are hardly mainstream, "One Thousand White Women" gracefully weaves together different subjects and characters without being presumptuous or relying on stereotype. The ideas and themes are surprisingly familiar; so much so, in fact, that it is easy to lose yourself entirely in the story, altogether forgetting that President Grant never actually did solicit these women to go and live on the reservations.
