Jonathan Cronin

Yazoo Mingo: the Journeys of Moncacht-ape Across North America 1687-1700 Jonathan Cronin

One hundred years before the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804, an American Indian of the Yazoo nation from the deep south made the same transcontinental journey up the Missouri River, across the Rocky Mountains and down the Columbia River to the Pacific coast. Unlike Lewis and Clark, Moncacht-Ap continued up the Inside Passage to southeast Alaska. Maps based upon his information paved the way for the later adventures of the Courageous Captains. Earlier, this Yazoo Mingo (chief) called Moncacht-Ap (Killer of Pain and Fatigue) known to contemporary French explorers as 'The Interpreter' traveled to Quebec and the northeast Atlantic coast. The motives for the Yazoo Mingo's extensive travels were to relieve his mind of a painful family tragedy and to find the place of his people's origin and bring back information to share with his nation. This book, Yazoo Mingo, is based upon Moncacht-Ap's historic journeys. The book also explores the folkways, spirituality, and destinies of the nations the Yazoo Mingo visited along the way. In order to bring the Moncacht-Ap saga to life, some characters and events are constructed in the First Nation storytelling tradition.