The front page of "Vol. 1 - No.1" of THE EAGLET, a school newspaper produced by elementary students at the Nebraska State Normal "Prep" School in Chadron, Nebraska back in 1941. One of the contributors was 9-year-old Jocelyn "Jackie" Maiden, a country lass – the youngest child of Bill and Leota Maiden.
This paper, and Jackie's front-page story, are timely and significant for several reasons. First, it was published exactly 80 years ago this week! The world was a different place – and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor just six weeks later was one of the most significant events in U.S. history. December 7th, 1941 truly was a "day of infamy."
And her short story in this "first edition" of The Eaglet – along with others in the newspaper – demonstrates a level of sensitivity and understanding about different cultures, even if some the words used might not be fully acceptable today.
In coming days, we'll add a few other stories from the paper.
Here is the text of Jackie Maiden's front-page story:
How the Indians Lived
There are different kinds of Indians. Each kind of Indian has a different kind of house. The forest and stream Indians live in tepees. There is one Indian (tribe) that builds log houses. These are the Iroquois Indians. They are Eastern Indians. The Navaho's build hogans which look like a bowl turned over. They live in the southwest.
Now I will tell about their food and dishes. Most Indians eat fish, corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, melons, potatoes and meats. The squaws make most of the dishes. They take stones that have been hollowed out by the water. They use turtle shells, too. They also make clay dishes.
We think that Indians are funny, but they have their ways and we have ours.
– Jocelyn Maiden
That's a pretty incisive perception for a nine-year-old girl. That's a very young Jackie Maiden at left. She always was a smart cookie – and cute!
