Sophia Alice Callahan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sophia Alice Callahan
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | January 1, 1868 Sulphur Springs, Texas
|
| Died | January 7, 1894 (aged 26) Muskogee, Creek Nation, Indian Territory
|
| Nationality | American, Muscogee (Creek) |
| Occupation | Teacher, novelist (one book) |
| Years active | 1876–1895 |
| Known for | First Native American female novelist |
|
Notable work
|
Wynema, a Child of the Forest |
Sophia Alice Callahan (born January 1, 1868 – died January 7, 1894) was a talented writer and teacher. She was a member of the Muscogee (Creek) people. Her book, Wynema, a Child of the Forest (1891), is thought to be the very first novel written by a Native American woman.
Sophia was very upset about the Wounded Knee Massacre that happened in 1890. This event took place at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. About six months before her book came out, she added details about this massacre and the 1890 Ghost Dance of the Lakota people into her story. This was the first time these events were written about in a fictional book.
Her novel might also be the first one ever written in Oklahoma, which was called Indian Territory at that time. Sophia wrote in a romantic style, but she also wanted her book to show the many unfair things Native Americans faced in the United States. Her novel was rediscovered later and printed again in 1997.
Early Life and School Days
Sophia Alice Callahan was born in Sulphur Springs, Texas, in 1868. Her father was part Muscogee (Creek) and part European. He was officially a member of the Muscogee Nation. His own father had died during the Indian removal in the 1830s, when the Creek people were forced to move to Indian Territory. Sophia's mother was Sarah Elizabeth Thornberg.
Sophia went to school in the eastern United States. She studied for almost a year at the Wesleyan Female Institute in Staunton, Virginia. There, she learned a lot about grammar, math, science, geography, and history.
Her Career as a Teacher and Writer
After finishing her schooling, Sophia became a teacher. She taught at several boarding schools in the Creek Nation, which was part of Indian Territory. From 1892 to 1893, she taught at the Wealaka Mission School. Her father was the leader of that school. Later in 1893, she moved to the Harrell International Institute in Muskogee, which was supported by the Methodist Church. She also wrote articles for the school's newspaper, Our Brother in Red.
Sophia's father, Samuel Benton Callahan, was a newspaper editor. He was also involved in politics during a difficult time in American history. The family had to leave Indian Territory and go to Sulphur Springs during the American Civil War. After the war, they returned to their home in Okmulgee, Indian Territory. There, her father developed a large farm and cattle ranch.
Sophia joined the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.) in Muskogee. This group worked to improve society. She explored ideas from this and other social movements in her novel, Wynema, a Child of the Forest (1891).
Later Years and Legacy
Sophia Alice Callahan's last job was with the Indian Mission Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. She had planned to go back to the Wesleyan Female Institute to get a college degree. Her goal was to open her own school in the Creek Nation.
However, several other teachers at Harrell became sick during the winter. Sophia was asked to return home to help. After she arrived in Muskogee, she also became ill. She got a lung sickness called pleurisy. Sophia passed away in Muskogee on January 7, 1894, when she was only 26 years old.
