John Joseph Mathews facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Joseph Mathews
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John Joseph Matthews
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| Born | 16 November 1895  Pawhuska |
| Died | 11 June 1979 (aged 83) |
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John Joseph Mathews (born November 16, 1894 – died June 16, 1979) was an important writer and leader for the Osage Nation. He served on the Osage Tribal Council in the 1930s. He studied at the University of Oklahoma, Oxford University, and the University of Geneva. Before his studies, he was a flight instructor during World War I.
Mathews wrote several important books. His first book, Wah'kon-tah: The Osage and The White Man's Road (1929), became a bestseller. His novel Sundown (1934) explored the challenges faced by the Osage people during the oil boom. In 1961, he published The Osages: Children of the Middle Waters, which shared many Osage stories and oral history.
In 1996, Mathews was honored by being added to the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame. The cabin where he wrote is now part of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. His burial site is also there, helping to preserve his legacy.
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A Look at John Joseph Mathews' Early Life and Education
John Joseph Mathews was born in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. He was the only son among five children of William Shirley and Eugenia (Girard) Mathews. His father was part Osage, and his family had a strong interest in Osage culture.
John's family had a mix of Osage, Anglo-Scots-Irish, and French backgrounds. All the children attended local schools in Pawhuska. John had three sisters, but his only brother was sadly killed by a mountain lion when he was a child.
Before college, John served in World War I. He started in the cavalry and later became a flight instructor and second lieutenant. After the war, he went to the University of Oklahoma and earned a degree in geology.
He then studied at Oxford University in England, finishing in 1923 with a degree in natural science. He also studied international relations at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. After traveling in Africa, he returned to the United States. He was determined to study and preserve the culture and traditions of the Osage people.
John Joseph Mathews' Family Life
In 1924, while in Geneva, Mathews married an American woman named Virginia Winslow Hopper. They lived in California, where their two children, John and Virginia, were born. The couple later divorced.
Mathews moved back to Oklahoma in 1929 and lived there for the rest of his life. In 1945, he married Elizabeth Hunt. She helped him with much of his research about the Osage people. Mathews treated her son from a previous marriage, John Hunt, as his own stepson.
John Joseph Mathews passed away in 1979. He was buried near the stone cabin in the Osage Hills where he spent many years writing. This was his special request.
Exploring John Joseph Mathews' Career and Writings
After returning to Oklahoma in 1929, John Joseph Mathews began his writing career. Because he was a member of the Osage tribe, he received money from oil leases on tribal land. This allowed him to buy land, build a stone cabin, and focus on his writing.
His first book, Wah'kon-tah: The Osage and The White Man's Road (1932), was a non-fiction work. It was published by the University of Oklahoma Press. This book was chosen by the Book-of-the-Month Club, which helped it become a bestseller.
Mathews' most famous work is Sundown (1934), his only novel. This book is seen as an early example of modern American Indian novels. It is known for its realistic portrayal of Native American life, moving away from old stereotypes.
Sundown tells the story of Challenge "Chal" Windzer, a young Osage man of mixed heritage. After studying and serving in the military, Chal feels out of place when he returns home. The novel is set during the exciting but difficult oil boom in Oklahoma in the 1920s. This period brought great wealth to many Osage citizens. However, it also caused problems and unfair actions within the community. The book shows how some people tried to take advantage of the Osage during this time, which the Osage called the "Reign of Terror."
During the 1930s, Mathews was very active in the Osage Nation's government. He helped the Osage Nation regain its self-government under new laws like the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. He was elected to the Tribal Council and served from 1934 to 1942. He also helped create the Osage Tribal Museum, which opened in 1938, and donated many items to it.
From 1939 to 1940, Mathews lived and studied in Mexico with a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 1940, he represented the United States at the Indians of the Americas Conference in Michoacan, Mexico.
Later, Mathews focused more on his writing. His book Talking to the Moon (1945) describes his ten years living in the "blackjacks" of his homeland. He observed nature and thought about how the environment shaped Osage culture. He wrote much of this book in his stone cabin, which is now part of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. This book combines his life story, philosophical ideas, and observations as a nature lover.
Mathews also wrote Life and Death of an Oilman: The Career of E. W. Marland (1951). This was his only biography, telling the story of a wealthy Oklahoma oilman and governor.
His most extensive work, The Osages: Children of the Middle Waters (1961), was based on years of collecting stories from tribal elders and doing historical research. This book is considered a major achievement for sharing tribal history from an American Indian viewpoint.
Two of Mathews' books have been published after his death. Twenty Thousand Mornings (2012) is another autobiography. Old Three Toes and Other Tales of Survival and Extinction (2015) is a collection of short stories. In these stories, Mathews often wrote from the perspective of animals, showing a unique way of looking at the world.
John Joseph Mathews' Published Works
- Wah'kon-tah: The Osage and The White Man's Road (1929)
- Sundown (1934)
- Talking to the Moon (1945)
- Life and Death of an Oilman: The Career of E. W. Marland (1951)
- The Osages: Children of the Middle Waters (1961)
The following books were published after his death:
- Twenty Thousand Mornings (2011), an autobiography
- Old Three Toes and Other Tales of Survival and Extinction (2015), short stories
Legacy and Honors for John Joseph Mathews
- In 1996, John Joseph Mathews was honored by being added to the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame.
- In 2017, a book about his life, John Joseph Mathews: Life of an Osage Writer, was published by Michael Snyder.
- The stone cabin where Mathews did much of his writing is in the Osage Hills. Around 2014, the Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma acquired the cabin and his gravesite. They are now part of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve and will be preserved for the future.
