S Alice Callahan

Young, idealistic Genevieve Weir arrives in Indian Territory on a mission to bring "civilization" to the Muscogee people. There she meets Wynema, a young Muscogee girl who shares the traditions and beliefs of her tribe. Together, these young women come of age during a time in American history marred by racism, sexism, and brutality toward Native Americans. A story about love's power to overcome differences, this novel also takes a hard look at "the wrongs and opression" perpetrated by the U.S. goverment toward Indigenous tribes.

Originally published in 1891, Wynema is the first novel known to have been written by a woman of American Indian descent.Set against the sweeping and often tragic cultural changes that affected southeastern native peoples during the late nineteenth century, it tells the story of a lifelong friendship between two women from vastly different backgrounds-Wynema Harjo, a Muscogee Indian, and Genevieve Weir, a Methodist teacher from a genteel Southern family. Both are firm believers in women’s rights and Indian reform; both struggle to overcome prejudice and correct injustices between sexes and races. Callahan uses the conventional traditions of a sentimental domestic romance to deliver an elegant plea for tolerance, equality, and reform.