Native Son: American Poems from the Heart of Oklahoma

In 1830 the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek would force the Choctaw People to begin their long sad walk along their Trail of Tears. Soon afterward the Cherokees would be forced down their own trail as well, while other Native Peoples were being moved from all across the country into Indian Territory. Over hundreds of miles in the dead of winter, entire tribes were torn from their native lands and moved to a wild and unsettled country. Death and disillusionment became the commonplace order of the day, but ultimately these proud people would overcome the trauma and heartache and give this new land a new name taken from the Choctaw language. This place would become Oklahoma - a land of Red People. This is the land of which Ron Wallace speaks so proudly in his book, Native Son (American Poems From the Heart of Oklahoma). I feel the native pull of the land to my feet even now, / each time the redtail soars above me, / each time the bobcat or the fox crosses the open road / and disappears into the wild around me. He writes passionately of his love for family and friends and a set of values they and the land have instilled within him. He records the histories in the old way of father to son to grandson, and in so doing speaks for the universal nature of Oklahomans. A reader soon knows without a doubt, he writes from his heart, especially when he speaks of this state, which would give birth to a new strength in its people. In this land schools would be built, churches and democratic governments would arise with Native American men and women like a Phoenix from the ashes. Mr. Wallace captures this spirit in his poetry, a poetry of America, the common man, the laborers and educators, the red and white men and women who make up this great nation, this great state. It has become an integrated culture of many races, a culture seeking enlightenment and advancement while holding fast to a storied past and a history that made them strong. In his poem, Southern Thunder , he writes: There is a certain comfort in knowing / that we are a part of the land / both literally and figuratively, / that we become the roots, the anchors / holding worlds in place / strengthening the present with the past. This state with all its tribes, its many diverse peoples, rose up from the Great Depression and helped to reform the most powerful nation in the world. The Long Walks, the Trails of Tears, the Dust Bowl, the train of oppressive wars had taught this place how to carve a path through the most difficult times. It was the indomitable spirit of this Red Man s Land that helped forge this mightiest of countries. Such men as these could not be ignored. They lifted themselves, and with themselves, they lifted a state, an entire nation. In the words of the poetry here, you will find the hearts and the souls of the men and women. I am Oklahoma born, a native son / a part of the land The words of this work will carry themselves across even more generations. Like so many other great Oklahomans, Ron Wallace will make you feel the pride and passion, the history and honor of this place we call home, America, Oklahoma (Red People). Chief Gregory E. Pyle Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma