Fiction and the Trope of the "Noble Savage"

Have you heard of it--the concept of the noble savage? I wondered about this, as so many of my stories involve Native Americans in historical settings. Nowadays, when our culture is at odds against itself in so many ways, when we are leery of stepping on nearly anyone's toes, when many of us really do want to "get it right" when it comes to history, I had to look deeper into this idea and determine whether what I am reading and--more importantly--what I am writing, is accurate regarding Native Americans in history, even in fiction.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

The "myth of the noble savage", as it's been referred to, is a literary concept that came about in romantic writings long ago, during the 17th and 18th centuries. Some say earlier, in fact. Some pin the idea on Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a Swiss-born philosopher and writer. In fact, Rousseau was so influential, his writings and ideas are credited for marking the end of the Age of Reason. Others say he is not to blame for painting an ideological picture of natives that is far from reality.

So what, exactly, is this ideology of the "Noble Savage"? It is the presupposition that native peoples left alone in a primitive state are basically good, as long as civilization doesn't come along and corrupt them. It paints a picture of natives that is romanticized, idealized, and sentimentalized. The Noble Savage concept for Americans is the notion that most Native Americans would have lived forever in peace and harmony had European invaders not turned their culture on its head by inciting greed, lust, corruption, and so on. 

Of course, I would disagree with this philosophy. All mankind is in a sin-fallen state, and we are easily given to "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (I John 2:16) regardless of outside influence. Be that as it may, the concept of the Indian in an unsullied society supposedly would not struggle with those things. Don't we all know better?

Nevertheless, it causes me to wonder about how we, as writers and readers of romantic or historical literature, view some of the heroes and heroines of Native American culture. Do we write them honestly? Do we understand them to be fully human, capable of all the goodness and the evil that lurks within the heart of every man and woman? 

History bears out the brutality of all civilizations and cultures on the globe, if we choose to look at it. Men and women of all colors: red, yellow, black, and white, have murdered, robbed, pillaged, and done every form of evil to their fellow human beings. They have also offered love, compassion, and mercy. I only bring this up because, even now, as I am working on upcoming books, I want to do so with an honest view of mankind in all his states. 

God did the same in His Word. Some of Scripture relates stories fraught with horrors told very plainly. Through them, we get a greater understanding of God's overwhelming and undeserved Grace. 

Whenever I sit down to write a story or read someone else's, I want to enjoy my heroes and heroines in light of truth. Everyone is broken. We're all a little or a lot messed up. I love a dashing hero as much as the next reader, be he warrior, highlander, farmer, cowboy, soldier, or tailor, but I like him even more when he's also written as a conflicted sinner coming to terms with a God greater than himself. 

Don't you? 

Naomi
https://naomimusch.com/

I am thrilled to announce the conclusion of my Echoes of the Heart series. The Brightest Hope, a post WWI romance, releases on August 1st. I hope you'll enjoy this story of an anti-hero whose complexity, personal demons, hopes and triumphs--I believe--are some of the best I've written. I think you'll enjoy a few surprises also.

The Brightest Hope is available for $2.99 pre-order and the first two novels in the series are also on special sale (ebook) during July for just $2.99 each. Say what? 1000 pages of historical romance for under $10! 

"I spy Pilot Mountain!" said the early colonial explorers.

North Carolinians are well aware of this eye-catching historical landmark and state park. I remember reading about it at some point as a kid. Yet, being firmly born and rooted in the Midwest, I'm not as familiar with Pilot Mountain as the folks out east are. 

Recently, though, my husband and I took a 3500 mile round trip to the that part of the country, and I got my first glimpse of this famous place on the map. I tried to imagine how important it must have been to explorers, fur traders, settlers, Indians making their way back and forth across the country.

Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson (Thomas Jefferson's father) were the first to map Pilot Mountain in 1751, which, to give it a time frame, would put young America near the beginning of the third French and Indian War. In the meantime, thousands of Scots-Iris, Welsh, and German immigrants made their way through the Carolinas at this time via the route known as the Great Wagon Road. 

Can you imagine their relief at seeing Pilot Mountain guiding their way? 

It is said that upon seeing the landmark, one Moravian settler said, "We saw the Pilot Mountain and rejoiced to think that we would soon see the boundary of Carolina, and set foot in our own dear land."

I often think about the fur traders and explorers who wrestled their way through the wilderness. I wonder at the men who fought in the civil war, in country that was as difficult to transverse at times as any battlefield. I let my imagination wander to the women who settled so far away from neighbors, family, and friends. Getting a glimpse at places like Pilot Mountain makes my imagination swirl!

Nowadays, the highway that passes by Pilot Mountain is a far cry from that old wagon road. It's a Blue Star Memorial highway, commemorating the men and women of the armed forces who have and continue to defend the United States of America.

At the pull-off to view the mountain, where the Blue Star sign is located, there are these rocks. Passersby write their names on the rocks or perhaps the names of service people they love. We didn't have a marker, so we didn't do that. Nevertheless, I thought it a neat tradition, a momento of the never-ending wave of travelers passing by, guided by the same road and mountain that travelers have been using for centuries.

Traveling Blessings on Your Summer~

Naomi

https://naomimusch.com/

P.S. ~ On a totally different note: I want to thank everyone again who joined the Colonial Quills High Tea Party a couple weeks ago. Since then, I've had TWO book cover biggies happen. First, the book I talked about at the party got a face lift. LPC Smitten (my publisher) gave Mist O'er the Voyageur a face lift by brightening up the cover. Secondly, I have a cover reveal for my new novel releasing in August! I'm super excited about The Brightest Hope because the cover features my youngest daughter. She also did the photography, so she was both behind and in front of the lens. Isn't she gorgeous as Holley Allen? You can find out more about the book in this month's newsletter here.