At the turn of the twentieth century, the Osage Indians owned Oklahoma's most valuable oil reserves and became members of the world's first wealthy oil population. Osage children and grandchildren continued to respect the old customs and ways, but now they also had lives of leisure: purchasing large homes, expensive cars, eating in fancy restaurants, and traveling to faraway places. In the 1920s, they also found themselves immersed in a series of murders. Charles H. Red Corn sets A Pipe for February against this turbulent, exhilarating background.
Tracing the experiences of John Grayeagle, the story's main character, Red Corn describes the Osage murders from the perspective of a traditional Osage. Other books on the notorious crimes have focused on the greed of government officials and businessmen to increase their oil wealth. Red Corn focuses on the character of the Osage people, drawing on his own experiences and insights as a member of the Osage Tribe.
At the turn of the twentieth century, the Osage Indians owned Oklahoma's most valuable oil reserves and became members of the world's first wealthy oil population. Osage children and grandchildren continued to respect the old customs and ways, but now they also had lives of leisure: purchasing large homes, expensive cars, eating in fancy restaurants, and traveling to faraway places. In the 1920s, they also found themselves immersed in a series of murders. Charles H. Red Corn sets A Pipe for February against this turbulent, exhilarating background.
Tracing the experiences of John Grayeagle, the story's main character, Red Corn describes the Osage murders from the perspective of a traditional Osage. Other books on the notorious crimes have focused on the greed of government officials and businessmen to increase their oil wealth. Red Corn focuses on the character of the Osage people, drawing on his own experiences and insights as a member of the Osage Tribe.
Charles H. Red Corn (1936-2017) was an independent writer living in Norman, Oklahoma. He is a member of the Tzi-zhu-wash-ta-ghi Clan (Peace Clan) of the Osage Tribe.
"A Pipe for February is an extraordinary novel: evocative,
riveting, moving. Charles Red Corn illuminates what the Osage
people went through during the 1920s, when oil profits had made
them fabulously wealthy and when they began to die under mysterious
circumstances--systematically targeted for their money. This novel,
exquisitely written and filled with revelations, will hold you in
its grip and never let you go"--David Grann, author of Killers of
the Flower Moon--a New York Times #1 bestseller--and award-winning
staff writer at The New Yorker
"...the story is an enthralling one [and] Red Corn's loving
descriptions of Osage customs and the moral dilemmas posed by their
sudden wealth that make this book a particularly rewarding read." -
Publishers Weekly
"A Pipe for February subtly weaves together some of the richest
themes of contemporary American Indian Literature." --Robert
Warrior, author of Tribal Secrets: Recovering American Indian
Intellectual Traditions
"Anyone off Osage background has known that there was a lot more to
tell about the Osage murders. Having heard about those murders all
his life from people who lived through them and knew the people
involved, Charles Red Corn is able to supply the 'Osage side' of
that story." --Carter Revard, author of An Eagle Nation
"Charles Red Corn has captured the heart and soul of Osage County
in the 1920s." --Elise Paschen, author of Infidelities
"Prose filled with descriptive beauty..."--The Historical Novels
Review
"Thematically rich." --Kirkus
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