''Wyandotté'' is a historical novel published by

James Fenimore Cooper James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonial and indigenous characters from the 17th to the 19th centuries brought h ...

in 1843. The novel is set in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

state during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. The main character of the novel is an Indian, "Saucy Nick", also called Wyandotté ("Great Chief"), whose depictions violate

stereotypes of Native Americans Stereotypes of Indigenous peoples of Canada and the United States of America include many ethnic stereotypes found worldwide which include historical misrepresentations and the oversimplification of hundreds of Indigenous cultures. Negative stere ...

. Critic James H. Pickering described the novel as rejecting the more established histories of the New York/Canada border war during the Revolution. In part the novel represents Cooper's own knowledge of the regional

oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information from people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people who pa ...

and affiliation with soldiers who had experienced the war.

Critical reception

In his 1968 review of the novel, critic James H. Pickering called the novel one of "Cooper's more successful efforts".

Critical reception

References

Further reading