The Bone Picker: Native Stories, Alternate Histories

Under the shadow of gray clouds, three children venture into the woods, where they spot the corpse of an old man on a scaffold. Suddenly a wild figure emerges, with long fingernails and tangled hair. It is the Hattak fullih nipi foni, the bone picker, who comes to tear off rotting flesh with his fingernails. Only the Choctaws who adhere to the old ways will speak of him. The frightening bone picker is just one of many entities, scary and mysterious, who lurk behind every page of this spine-tingling collection of Native fiction, written by award-winning Choctaw author Devon A. Mihesuah. Choctaw lore features a large pantheon of deities. These beings created the first people, taught them how to hunt, and warned them of impending danger. Their stories are not meant simply to entertain: each entity has a purpose in its behavior and a lesson to share—to those who take heed. As a Choctaw citizen, with deep ties to Indian Territory and Oklahoma, Mihesuah grew up hearing the stories of her ancestors. In the tradition of Native storytelling, she spins tales that move back and forth fluidly across time. The ancient beings, we discover, followed the tribe from their original homelands in Mississippi and are now ever-present influences on tribal consciousness. While some of the horrors told here are “real life” in nature, the art of fiction that Mihesuah employs reveals surprising outcomes or alternative histories. It turns out the things that scare us the most can lead to the answers we are seeking and even ensure our very survival.

About the Author :
Devon A. Mihesuah, an enrolled citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is the Cora Lee Beers Price Professor in the Hall Center at the University of Kansas. She has served as Editor of the American Indian Quarterly and is the author of numerous award-winning books, including Ned Christie: The Creation of an Outlaw and Cherokee Hero; Choctaw Crime and Punishment, 1884–1887; American Indigenous Women: Decolonization, Empowerment, Activism; Recovering Our Ancestors' Gardens: Indigenous Recipes and Guide to Diet and Fitness; American Indians: Stereotypes and Realities; and Cultivating the Rosebuds: The Education of Women at the Cherokee Female Seminary, 1851–1909.

Review :
“This unique, compelling collection of stories inspired by tribal narratives brings readers into a world of well-imagined, engaging characters. The Bone Picker is skillfully rendered by a writer with a vast breadth of knowledge of history, ancestry, and place.”—Gordon Henry (White Earth Anishinaabe), author of Spirit Matters: White Clay, Red Exits, Distant Others “A captivating collection of reimagined, originally oral stories that grab the reader and hold them till the end. The Bone Picker is well suited for anyone who enjoys a good scary story, particularly those interested in Choctaw and Indigenous cultures.”—Sandra Muse Isaacs, author of Eastern Cherokee Stories: A Living Oral Tradition and Its Cultural Continuance “In this stunning assemblage of Native stories, Devon A. Mihesuah summons age-old gods, demons, witches, and other mythological tribal entities who use their abilities, equally magnificent and monstrous, to right wrongs, win justice, protect the disempowered, and punish those who act in evil ways. Though these stories sprout from ancient roots, they strike a balance between history and the here and now, making them as vital today as traditional Native tales were centuries ago. Compelling, empowering, and dire, The Bone Picker induces shivers while masterfully exhibiting the importance of Native storytelling.”—Nick Medina, author of Indian Burial Ground “A thrilling collection of authentic Choctaw lore that blends elements of horror and adventure into a fast-paced, interesting read. I felt like I had been transported back in time with many stories I won’t soon forget. I couldn’t put this book down!”—Nicholas Sansbury Smith, NYT bestselling author of Hell Divers “I stand in awe of Devon Mihesuah’s work. It’s timeless and haunting. I’ll be thinking of each of these stories for years to come. Each one is a handshake with the ancient, and the beings the reader and the characters meet in The Bone Picker aren’t always kind. What a privilege to read. I’d follow Devon Mihesuah anywhere.”— Richard Van Camp (Dogrib [Tlicho]) Nation, author of Night Moves