Today I have the great pleasure of interviewing Allison Bruning. I read Ms. Bruning’s book, Calico: Children of the Shawnee. I enjoy some history with my fiction, so I was impressed with the satisfying, complex read. Once I began reading, I was loathe to put it down.

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“What inspired you to write Calico when you’re not even Native American descent?”

I cannot tell you how many times I get this question. To tell you the truth I absolutely love it, too. Growing up in Ohio I was bombarded with funny names such as Chillicothe, Wapakoneta, Mohican, and Cincinnati. The memorials of the Native American tribes who had once inhabited Ohio were in the names of our towns, camps (I went to Camp Wakatomika as a youth), and streets. Although, as far as I know, my family has no Native American heritage I was often drawn to the history and culture of these people. Calico has been in the market for two years now. It’s drawn a lot of attention from Native Americans. Most Native Americans that I meet are shocked to learn that I do not have any native blood in me. I have been adopted by a Delaware woman who tells me I am more of a sister to her than her own sister and a Creek shaman who thinks of me like his granddaughter. I am a good friend with a Navajo medicine woman and her family. All of the natives who meet me tell me that my heart bleeds red but my skin is white. I hold a Native American healer’s spirit in me although I walk this life as a white woman. I am very honored by the First Nations to think of me as one of their own.

When I was a child I was taught that the Shawnee were vicious people who murdered white men and raped their women. As I grew older I began to realize just how one sided the American history books are when it comes to dealing with Native American history, especially in the media. We often see the Shawnee in movies, television shows and books portrayed as bloodthirsty savages bent on raping women and killing men. It dehumanizes them. American history teaches us that the British and latter Americans were rescuing women and children from the Shawnee. They’d raze their settlements, rescue the poor white damsel in distress then off they go back to civilization with the female where she’s joyfully reunited with her family. The End! Isn’t that a nice fairytale? The savages are defeated and our hero saves the day.

But did you know that many of the women who had been “rescued” by the British or Americans actually ran right back to their captors? Why would these women go back to the natives who had captured them? Was it some sort of Stockholm syndrome? No, the white women of the 18th century often times left for their captors because they had more freedom in a native village than in a European colony.

This thinking goes against what we have been taught about the native population. On the contrary, a woman was valued more in native cultures than a man. When she was traveling with a man she would carry their belongings and be behind him. Why? So she would be protected! Think about it. The Shawnee were at war with the white man for a long time. He couldn’t carry his belongings and be prepared to fight should they be attacked. It was his duty to protect the women, children and elders.

In camp, the women were in charge of the fields and housework while her husband was laying around. Why was the man so lazy? He wasn’t. He was often hunting, fishing and protecting the village. Sometimes a man needs his rest but don’t think he wasn’t aware of his surroundings. In a moment’s notice, he would be able to defend his wife and family should the village be attacked.

“Allison, why didn’t the Shawnee men ever look at their wives when a white man was around?”

Would you want your enemy to know which women meant the most to you? He ignored her to protect her. You never know just how far someone would go to hurt another. Another thing to think about. If the Shawnee did not value their women then why did their laws insist anyone who hurts a woman receive double the punishment than if they had hurt a man?

When I wrote Calico’s character I had decided to make her the daughter of a French Fur Trapper. Why? Because I wanted to show my readers the truth. The British were so hell bent on saving every single white woman from the native population they never took time to consider whether or not the woman was actually British. As long as someone looked white the British would retrieve her. The problem with this is that not all white women were actually British. Some of them were the daughters of French traders who had married into the population. A French woman would marry into the tribe to secure a tighter trade relationship between her father and the native population.

If, in the event, a European woman was ever captured she would walk the gauntlet and then be adopted into a native family. Why? To replace the dead wife or child of a native person. Men on the other hand were often considered a threat. The natives knew if a man was adopted he might cause more harm then good. It was all about survival. I wanted my readers to understand these points through the eyes of a female who lived with the Shawnee.

Before I wrote Calico I had read a book called “Follow the River” by James Alexander Thom. I had watched the movie with my husband. While it was a good attempt to show a different side of the story, that is to honor the Shawnee, I felt it was lacking a lot. I decided to write Calico to fill in the cultural gaps this book left.

An interesting thing to think about is this as well. The natives were not the only ones who were kidnapping women and children. The British did so in order to provide labor for their slave market. The native populations didn’t just attack a British village for kicks, they often times did so in order to free those who had been captured by the British.

AUTHOR BIO:
Allison Bruning has had a passion for writing since childhood. She originally hails from Marion, Ohio, but lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and their Australian Cattle Dog, Lakota Sioux.

Her father, Roland Irving Bruning, was the son of German immigrants who came to the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Her mother’s family had immigrated from Scotland, Ireland and England during the 17th century.

Allison is a member of the Daughters of American Revolution, tracing her linage to Private Rueben, Messenger of Connecticut. She enjoys family stories, history and genealogy.

Her educational background includes a BA in Theatre Arts with a minor in Anthropology and a Texas Elementary Teaching certificate. Both were acquired at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. Allison received National Honor Society memberships in both Theatre Arts and Communication. She was also honored her sophomore year with admission into the All American Scholars register. She holds graduate hours in Cultural Anthropology and Education. In 2007, Allison was named Who’s Who Among America’s Educators. She is also the recipient of the Girl Scout Silver and Gold Awards. Allison will receive her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Full Sail University on June 28, 2013.

Her books, Reflections: Poems and Essays and Calico: Children of the Shawnee (Book 1), are published by Mountain Springs House.

She is currently working on Passions Awakenings, book one of a high fantasy erotica series titled Draconian Corazon that will be released this summer. She is also working on a historical fiction series known as The Secret Heritage that takes place in early 20th century Ohio. Elsa, book one of the series, will be released in the fall.

Allison’s interests include Ohio Valley history, anthropology, travel, culture, history, camping, hiking, backpacking, spending time with her family, and genealogy.

She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AllisonBruning.
She is also on twitter @emeraldkell.
Her blog can be found at http://allisonbruning.blogspot.com.
Her author page on Goodreads is http://www.goodreads.com/emeraldkell
Her Amazon author page may be found at http://amzn.to/LZ0UsT