Alexander Posey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alexander Posey
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| Born | Alexander Lawrence Posey August 3, 1873 Eufaula, Creek Nation, Indian Territory |
| Died | May 27, 1908 (aged 34) North Canadian River, Oklahoma |
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| Nationality | Muscogee (Creek) Nation |
| Genre | Native American literature, poetry, humor, political satire |
| Notable works | Fus Fixico Letters |
Alexander Lawrence Posey (born August 3, 1873 – died May 27, 1908) was an important Creek Nation writer, journalist, and leader. He was known for his poems, funny stories, and political writings. In 1901, he started the Eufaula Indian Journal, which was the first daily newspaper published by a Native American.
Alexander Posey wrote special letters called the Fus Fixico Letters. These letters were from a made-up character who shared funny and smart comments about politics in the Creek Nation and the United States. He also helped write a constitution for a proposed Native American state called Sequoyah, but this idea was not approved by the U.S. Congress. Alexander Posey died young when he drowned in a flooded river in Oklahoma.
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Alexander Posey's Early Life
Alexander Posey was born on August 3, 1873, near a place now called Eufaula, Oklahoma. He was the oldest of twelve children. His father, Lewis Henderson "Hence" Posey, was part Scots-Irish and part Muskogee Creek. His mother, Nancy (Phillips) Posey, was fully Muscogee Creek. Her Creek name was Pohas Harjo.
The Creek people have a special way of tracing family lines called matrilineal kinship. This means children belong to their mother's family group, or clan. So, Alexander and his siblings were part of his mother's Wind Clan. They got their social standing and family property through her side of the family.
Alexander's father, Lewis, grew up in the Creek Nation and spoke the Muscogee language very well. Young Alexander and his brothers and sisters first learned to speak Muscogee. As they got older, their father wanted them to learn English too. When Alexander was fourteen, his father even made him speak English. Alexander then went to school and studied for three years at Bacone Indian University in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
In 1896, when he was 23, Alexander Posey married Minnie Harris, who was a teacher. They had three children: Yahola Irving, Pachina Kipling, and Wynema Torrans. Each child's middle name was chosen from one of their parents' favorite authors.
Alexander Posey's Career and Work
At Bacone University, Alexander Posey studied writing. He enjoyed reading authors like John Burroughs and Henry David Thoreau. These writers inspired him to write about the beautiful natural places where he grew up.
After college, he worked at the Indian Journal newspaper. There, he started publishing his poems. In 1895, he became a member of the Creek National Council, representing his mother's Wind Clan. He also helped run an orphanage for Creek children.
In 1901, Posey became the editor of the Eufaula Indian Journal. He became well-known across the country for starting the first daily newspaper that was published by a Native American.
In 1906, Alexander Posey became the secretary for the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention. This meeting was held to create a constitution for a new state where most people would be Native American. Many people believe he wrote most of this constitution. Native Americans hoped to have their own state. However, their efforts were not successful. The U.S. government decided to combine the Oklahoma and Indian territories into one state, and the tribal governments were eventually ended.
The Famous Fus Fixico Letters
Alexander Posey was very good at writing funny and clever stories that made a point. He created a made-up character named Fus Fixico. In the Muscogee Creek language, "Fus Fixico" means "Heartless Bird." Posey published letters from Fus Fixico in the Indian Journal.
Fus Fixico was shown as a traditional Muscogee person. His letters were like friendly chats about his daily life. They also shared detailed stories he heard from a made-up Muscogee medicine man named Hotgun. Hotgun would tell these stories to older Creek leaders. These stories were written in a special Creek way of speaking English.
The Fus Fixico Letters were sometimes nostalgic, looking back at the past. But mostly, they were sharp political comments about the Creek Nation, Indian Territory, and U.S. politics. This was a time of big changes. The U.S. government was breaking up the shared lands of the Creek and other tribes into individual pieces. This was done to prepare for the area to become a state. The Curtis Act of 1898 also ended tribal governments and their systems.
Experienced leaders from the Five Civilized Tribes tried to create a constitution for an independent State of Sequoyah. But the U.S. government did not accept their plan. Posey worked as the secretary for the 1906 State of Sequoyah convention. His Fus Fixico letters from 1902 to 1908 made fun of the debates about statehood. Other newspapers in the U.S. wanted to publish the Fus Fixico letters everywhere, but Posey said no. He felt that people outside of Indian Territory would not understand the humor.
Death and Lasting Impact
On April 28, 1908, Alexander Posey was trying to cross the flooded North Canadian River with a friend. He was swept away by the strong current. His body was found a week later. He was buried at Greenhill Cemetery in Muskogee.
In April 2017, the University of Central Oklahoma started a special speaker series to honor Alexander Posey. It is called the Alexander Lawrence Posey Speaker Series. It features writers whose voices might not always be heard in literature today.
Published Works
Many of Alexander Posey's writings were published after he passed away.
- The Poems Of Alexander Lawrence Posey: Alex Posey, The Creek Indian Poet, Minnie H. Posey, ed. (2010). Kessinger Press. ISBN: 978-1-163-08652-0.
- Lost Creeks: Collected Journals, Matthew Wynn Sivils, ed. (2009) Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN: 978-0-8032-1628-0.
- Song of the Oktahutche: Collected Poems, Matthew Wynn Sivils, ed. (2008) Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN: 978-0-8032-2053-9.
- Chinnubbie and the Owl: Muscogee (Creek) Stories, Orations, and Oral Traditions, Matthew Wynn Sivils, ed. (2005). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN: 978-0-8032-3746-9.
- The Fus Fixico Letters, Daniel Littlefield, Jr. and Carl A. Petty Hunter, ed. (1993)Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ASIN B001QREZM0.
See Also
In Spanish: Alexander Posey para niños
