Paul E. Walker

Bertrand N. O. Walker, who published under the Wyandotte name Hen-Toh, was a Native American author known for his collections of folktales and poetry. Born around 1870 in Kansas City, Kansas, he was a citizen of the Wyandotte Nation and belonged to the Big Turtle Clan. Walker's family relocated to Indian Territory, where he received his education at a Friends' Mission School. He dedicated much of his adult life to the Indian Service, working as a teacher and clerk across various states, while also tending to his family farm.

Walker's literary work drew heavily from his deep connection to Wyandotte culture and traditions. He gathered stories and folklore from elder members of his community, including his aunt Catherine "Kitty" Greyeyes. His most recognized publications are "Tales of the Bark Lodges" (1919) and "Yon-Doo-Shah-We-Ah (Nubbins)" (1924), the latter being a volume of poetry. He also contributed to various periodicals. His writing style often incorporated what he described as "the broken dialect peculiar alone to the 'old time Indian,'" reflecting the authentic rhythms of Wyandot English speech. Despite a limited published output, his work has been recognized for its wit, humor, and valuable cultural lessons, and a significant archive of his unpublished manuscripts was discovered and acquired by a research library.

Under the pen name Hen-Toh, B. N. O. Walker produced significant literary works that captured the essence of Wyandotte culture and oral traditions. His writing was deeply informed by his close relationships with elder members of his community, enabling him to gather and preserve folktales and poetry. His primary published books, "Tales of the Bark Lodges" (1919) and "Yon-Doo-Shah-We-Ah (Nubbins)" (1924), showcase his talent for storytelling and verse. Walker's unique stylistic approach involved employing what he termed "the broken dialect peculiar alone to the 'old time Indian,'" which scholars note authentically reflects the nuances of Wyandot English speech. This method, combined with his intimate knowledge of Wyandot history and culture, lent his work a distinct and valuable voice. Ethnologists, such as Charles Marius Barbeau, acknowledged Walker's crucial role in facilitating research on Huron and Wyandot mythology.

Walker's writings are characterized by their "unabashedly romantic" tone, according to some historians. His poetry and folktales, particularly the "interesting character sketches and narratives" found in "Yon-Doo-Shah-We-Ah (Nubbins)", have been praised for their depth and entertainment value. Scholars Daniel F. Littlefield and James W. Parins highlight that while Walker's stories can be enjoyed for their wit and humor, they also contain profound lessons. The animal characters' interactions, often involving competition and trickery, serve as a vehicle for conveying essential Wyandot societal values like etiquette, decorum, and mutual respect. Critics like Robert Dale Parker have drawn parallels between Walker's satirical style and that of other Native American humorists, placing his work within a broader literary tradition of regional and colloquial speech, influenced by writers such as Mark Twain and Finley Peter Dunne.

Although B. N. O. Walker's published works were not widely circulated during his lifetime, his contributions to Native American literature have gained recognition. His writings have been included in numerous anthologies, notably in Robert Dale Parker's collection of pre-1930 American Indian poetry. A significant development in understanding his literary output occurred in 2022 with the discovery of a substantial archive of his unpublished manuscripts. This collection, containing approximately 30 poems and 20 stories, more than doubles the known body of his work. The archive, acquired by a research library, promises to further illuminate his literary achievements and cultural insights. His image has also been preserved through photographic portraits, including one by George Bancroft Cornish, though sometimes with misidentification.

“The author is much indebted to Mr. B. N. O. Walker not only for the valuable myths which he contributed ... but also for his many services in facilitating the work with other informants, by whom he is deservedly esteemed.”

“They are full of wit and humor and can be read simply for entertainment. Perceptive reader, however, will recognize the humor, which turns on the games of competition, trickery, and oneupsmanship played among the animals, as a vehicle for valuable lessons in such matters as etiquette, decorum, and mutual respect that formed a base of Wyandot society.”

“Posey and Hen-toh merged local Native English with the Old Southwestern and late nineteenth-century regionalist immersion in colloquial speech, most famously realized by Mark Twain, Finley Peter Dunne’s Mr. Dooley newspaper columns, and the poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, all antecedents of the modernist preoccupation with literary perspective.”