She's Tricky Like Coyote – Annie Miner Peterson, an Oregon Coast Indian Woman (The Civilisation of the American Indian Series, Vol. #224)

She’s Tricky Like Coyote is the story of Annie Miner Peterson, who was born in an Indian village on a tidal slough along the southern Oregon Coast in 1860.Annie lived a full and fascinating seventy-nine years. In the 1930s, she dictated her story, in Miluk Coos, to anthropologist Melville Jacobs, who translated the account into English. Although only a few pages long, the autobiography reveals a bright, outspoken, and independent woman who was raised as a traditional Indian and married five Indian men but whose adult life was spent in the white world. Supplementing the account with anthropologists’ field notes, interviews with relatives, and other primary and secondary works, Lionel Youst here provides the first full-length biography of an American Indian linguistic or ethnologic informant from the northwestern states.Volume 224 in the Civilization of the American Indian series

"She's Tricky Like Coyote is the story of Annie Miner Peterson, who was born in an Indian village on a tidal slough along the southern Oregon Coast in 1860." "Annie lived a full and fascinating seventy-nine years in wester Oregon. As a child, she absorbed the culture of her maternal ancestors, mastering the traditional arts of basketmaking and storytelling. She learned English after she was twenty years old; from childhood she was bilingual in Miluk and Hanis, and she lived to become the last person to fluent in Miluk." In the 1930s, Annie dictated her story, in Miluk Coos, to anthropologist Melville Jacobs, who translated the account into English. Although only a few pages long, the autobiography reveals a bright, outspoken, and independent woman who was raised as a traditional Indian and married five Indian men but whose adult life was spent in the white world. Supplementing the account with anthropologists' field notes, interviews with relatives, and other primary and secondary works, Lionel Youst here provides the first full-length biography of an American Indian linguistic or ethnologic informant from the northwestern states.

Publishers Weekly

"I know what my old people tell me." When Peterson uttered this sentence, she was merely answering a question at a court proceeding on behalf of her tribe, the Coos. But as Youst recounts in this straightforward biography, the statement also reflects her greatest legacy. Growing up, Peterson (whose Indian name means "She's Tricky Like Coyote") was formed by the rich culture of her people in the Pacific Northwest, just as whites began eradicating that culture. Fluent in both the Mulik and Hanis dialects, this colorful, gifted woman was able to make significant contributions to Oregon tribal anthropology, linguistics and the preservation of their mythic oral literature in the original language. Though the author has done a prodigious amount of research, the book is hindered by an academic tone that rarely moves beyond the mechanistic chronicling of Peterson's life during this fascinating and bittersweet moment of American history. For example, Youst repeatedly notes that she is strong-willed and controversial, but with limited anecdotes, quotes and personal reminiscence, that facet of her personality is never brought to life. Youst's research portrays Peterson as a resilient, audacious survivor; a woman who had to part with her first child to save her own life; a woman whose five husbands included a physical abuser, a drunken lout and a gentle, supportive partner. Though the result is a worthwhile contribution to Native American anthropology, it falters as biography: readers never get a glimpse into the heart of a woman who seems worth getting to know. (Oct.)

She's Tricky Like Coyote is the story of Annie Miner Peterson, who was born in an Indian village on a tidal slough along the southern Oregon Coast in 1860. The few hundred Indians who still lived on the shores of the bay at that time were rapidly being replaced by whites from other parts of the country. In the 1930s, Annie dictated her story, in Miluk Coos, to anthropologist Melville Jacobs, who translated the account into English. Though only a few pages long, the autobiography reveals a bright, outspoken, and independent woman who was raised as a traditional Indian and married five Indian men but whose adult life was spent in the white world. Supplementing the account with anthropologists' field notes, interviews with relatives, and other primary and secondary works, Lionel Youst here provides the first full-length biography of an American Indian linguistic or ethnologic informant from the northwestern states. She's Tricky Like Coyote tells, largely from Annie's perspective, the story of a working-class Indian woman of the transitional generation, of her adjustment to the collapse of her culture and its absorption into the white world, and of her role in salvaging a small part of that culture. A portrait of Annie Miner Peterson presents an intriguing biography of a Native American woman who was raised as a traditional Indian only to see her culture become absorbed into the white world, and who became the last person fluent in the Miluk tongue. UP.