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Indian Captivity Narratives

A genre of American literature has been the Indian captivity narrative. These captivity narratives are part of culture's definition of women's "proper" roles -- by stereotyping Native Americans and European-descent settlers.
Women Captives and Indian Captivity Narratives
A basic introduction to the literary genre, popular especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, about women settlers captured by and living with Native Americans.
Women's History Perspectives on Captivity Narratives
Find some questions that women's history asks about Indian captivity narratives.
Individual Captivity Narratives
A list of some of the most famous (or infamous) women captives as documented in captivity narratives.
Bibliography on Women Captives and Indian Captivity Narratives
Find print and web resources on women captives and Indian captivity narratives for further study.
Mary Jemison
Biography of Mary Jemison with carefully selected links to more material about her life and famous captivity narrative.
Mary White Rowlandson
Mary White Rowlandson was captured by Indians in Massachusetts near the end of King Philip's War, and her autobiography became a best-seller.
A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison
An example of the Indian Captivity Narrative, written in 1823 by James E. Seaver from interviews with Mary Jemison.
Susannah Johnson
Find the text online for "A Narrative of the Captivity of Mrs. Johnson: Containing an Account of Her Sufferings During Four Years With the Indians and French."

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