Nyx in the House of Night

by Dane, Jordan; Cast, Kristin; Mahoney, Karen; P. C. Cast

  P.C. and Kristin build directly on the reputation of the Gilcrease mansion. In Burned, the authors make their boldest and most imaginative move in mythologizing Tulsa: they allow their fictional character Rephaim to interact directly with a spirit straight out of Tulsa legend, one of the several unnamed child ghosts from the Gilcrease mansion. While Rephaim lies low in the house, the spirit of a little girl appears to him, asking him questions about his identity.

  This sequence becomes even more compelling after one reads the rest of the novel, especially if the reader knows the history of the Gilcrease home. Later in Burned, the reader glimpses Rephaim in his human, Native American incarnation (which is appropriate, since Raven Mockers come from Cherokee mythology), but this occurs only after the ghost of the little girl has made him question what he really is. If the girl hails from the Gilcrease mansion’s orphanage days, it follows that she, too, is Native American, and quite possibly Cherokee. In short, the Casts use the legend surrounding the Gilcrease home as a means to bring two mythic symbols of the Native American past—the Raven Mocker and the ghost—into dialogue with each other in the present. They turn Tulsa folklore into a canonical part of their own fiction, just as they do with older myth and legend.

  HOUSE OF NIGHT TOURS

  The incorporation of Tulsa landmarks and their corresponding legends lends a rich authenticity and texture to the Casts’ books. In turn, the terrific success of the bestselling House of Night series means that many people are discovering Tulsa either for the first time or in a new way. As I write this, the publisher of the novels, St. Martin’s Press, is collaborating with the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce and the Oklahoma Tourism Department to develop two innovative ways for readers to experience the Tulsa sites reimagined by the Casts.

  First, the publisher intends to offer a onetime tour of Tulsa locations for the lucky winners of a House of Night-themed sweepstakes corresponding roughly with the January 2011 debut of the eighth book in the series, Awakened. Second, St. Martin’s plans to provide through its website a virtual tour that will serve not only as a long-distance interactive experience of Tulsa, but also as a checklist for those who wish to go on self-guided tours of the city in person. This virtual tour is scheduled to go live in Spring 2011, and remain online for the foreseeable future to complement the final novels in the series—so you may be able to check it out for yourself right now. Both tours will incorporate sites such as the Philbrook Museum, the Tulsa tunnels, and the Union Depot. Needless to say, these tours seem like promising ways to encourage tourism and exploration of Tulsa, as well as promote the House of Night novels. Many of the local businesses that are mentioned in the novels, from the Street Cats charity to the Utica Square shopping center to the Little Black Dress boutique, are actively helping to bring the tour plans to life.

  Not everyone, however, seems as happy as I am that the House of Night series is turning new attention to Tulsa. Representatives of Cascia Hall have elected not to cooperate with the book-related Tulsa tours. From this I infer that some Cascia Hall officials, at least, don’t appreciate the way in which their institution is portrayed in the novels.

  To be fair, Cascia Hall does not receive terrific praise from the Casts. In Marked, Neferet tells Zoey that the House of Night purchased its campus five years earlier from Cascia Hall after making the “arrogant headmaster an offer even he couldn’t refuse.” Zoey recognizes that this purchase came after “a whole herd of kids who went to Cascia Hall had been busted for drugs.” Of course, the Casts don’t portray any school body as perfect; even sympathetic Broken Arrow students such as Heath are shown to abuse alcohol and smoke marijuana. But in Zoey’s mind, at least, the memory of Cascia Hall seems synonymous with stuck-up rich kids behaving badly. Meanwhile the forbidding buildings of the campus, although exotic and elegant, appear to Zoey “like something out of a creepy dream.”

  Perhaps it’s also worth noting that early on in Marked the authors link Cascia Hall by name with the People of Faith rather than with the Tulsa Catholic community, despite the school’s Catholic affiliation. This may be significant because, throughout the novels, the People of Faith are often depicted as judgmental, dogmatic, and hypocritical, not to mention patriarchal in practice. (Note that Neferet refers to the headmaster at Cascia Hall as a “he.”) In contrast, specific Catholic organizations such as the Street Cats rescue and the Benedictine Abbey are often depicted as tolerant, generous, and humanitarian, represented by powerful feminine forces (various nuns and the Virgin Mary herself). This subtly suggests that the leadership at Cascia Hall demonstrates more of the negative qualities that the Casts identify in contemporary Christianity than the positive ones.

  In other words, the House of Night series won’t be used as promotional literature for Cascia Hall anytime soon. (I for one won’t be staying up nights worrying about the school’s enrollment figures.) Nevertheless, the tours offer school representatives the chance to show Cascia Hall in its best light and employ the House of Night-generated publicity for their institution’s advantage. If its leaders do not choose to take advantage of this, that’s a shame.

  ENJOY YOUR STAY

  While the Cascia Hall leadership may not embrace the attention brought by the House of Night series, other Tulsans and former Tulsans, myself included, will continue to celebrate the creative manner in which P.C. and Kristin mythologize Tulsa in their fiction. Thanks to widespread interest in their bestselling books, others worldwide will come to know and appreciate the city, as well. As Tulsa enriches the House of Night novels, it also is enriched by them, and will continue to be for many years to come.

  Perhaps the saying is correct, and you really can’t go home again. These days when I return to Tulsa, whether in body or just in spirit, I see a vampyre fledgling here and a Raven Mocker there in places I hadn’t found them years ago. That’s fine by me. Through this new lens the town appears larger than life and mythological in proportion, but it’s also true to itself in every way that’s meaningful.

  P.C. and Kristin Cast have made Tulsa once again the “Magic City,” and I heart them for that.

  AMY H. STURGIS earned her PhD in intellectual history at Vanderbilt University. A specialist in science fiction/fantasy studies and Native American studies, Sturgis is the author of four books and the editor of another five. Her essays have appeared in dozens of books, journals, and magazines. In 2006, she was honored with the Imperishable Flame Award for J.R.R. Tolkien Scholarship. In 2009, she received the Sofanaut Award for her regular “History of the Genre” segments on StarShipSofa, which in 2010 became the first podcast in history to win a Hugo Award. Her official website is amyhsturgis.com.

  { The Magic of Being Cherokee }

  Jordan Dane

  THE HOUSE of Night series is unique from other vampyre lore in many ways, but when authors P. C. and Kristin Cast add depth to the fictional character of Zoey Redbird by giving her the Native American blood of a Cherokee, that’s where the magic in these novels becomes truly special. Native American culture is used as a springboard for the fictional world depicted in the series. The authors research real Cherokee myths and legends to add color and authenticity, then add creative twists to bring these myths alive on the page. And although the authors have never claimed to be experts on the Cherokee, the strength and depth of the Cherokee Nation shines like a beacon through their young heroine.

  Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird is from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Though Oklahoma is home to a larger-than-average Cherokee population, Zoey’s Cherokee roots still mean she looks different from the other kids at her school: with her black hair, olive-toned skin, high cheekbones, and large, captivating hazel eyes, she stands out in the crowd. In Marked, after she’s branded with the outline of a crescent moon that is a symbol of her being selected as a fledgling vampyre, Zoey believes that her Cherokee features, coupled with the exotic-looking tattoo, make her look wild—as if she belongs in ancient times when the world was more “barbaric.”

  After she’s Marked and her
life changes forever, Zoey is lost, confused, and scared. She first turns to her family for help, but her mother and step-loser-father turn a cold shoulder, making her feel like a freak. Zoey is desperate for help and guidance—and she finds it by going to her beloved Cherokee grandmother, Sylvia Redbird. Sylvia becomes a very important human character in the series, representing and reinforcing Zoey’s connection to her Cherokee roots—a foundation that turns out to be a surprisingly useful one in helping Zoey deal with her new life. Throughout the series, her grandmother is there when Zoey needs someone most.

  On that visit to her grandmother’s lavender farm, Zoey has a fated encounter with the immortal Nyx, and that encounter, too, is steeped in her Cherokee bloodline. The Goddess comes to her in a vision after Zoey falls and hits her head. In what appears to be a dream or hallucination, she hears familiar sounds on the wind (U-no-le). Ancient Cherokee voices chant in time with the rhythmic beat of the ceremonial drums of her ancestors, with their ghostly bodies “shimmering like heat waves lifting from a blacktop road in the summer,” and Zoey finally meets the vampyre Goddess, Nyx, in the Cherokee realm of the Spirit People (Nunne ‘hi).

  Zoey carries her Cherokee heritage with her into the House of Night, taking the name “Zoey Redbird” to honor that heritage and her grandmother. (“Redbird” means “daughter of the sun” in Cherokee, an irony considering that Zoey is marked by Nyx as one of her Children of the Night.) Later, we learn Zoey is the reincarnation of a Cherokee woman named A-ya (a Cherokee word meaning “me”), and the legend of A-ya, Kalona, and the Raven Mockers becomes a driving force behind the House of Night series and a motivating gem that sets the book apart from other vampire mythos.

  Because of her heritage, Zoey is special even before the start of her second life as a fledgling vampyre, and it is her connection to the Cherokee people through her grandmother and A-ya that makes her uniquely able to face the threat of Neferet and Kalona. The world created in the House of Night series is a dark, rich tapestry of demons, evil spirits, and vampyres woven into real Cherokee beliefs and traditions. It’s a world threatened by legendary evil brought to life—and because of that evil’s Cherokee origins, only a heroine with Cherokee roots can save it.

  THE CHEROKEE IN OKLAHOMA

  The House of Night series is set in northeast Oklahoma, in Tulsa, and many local (and very real) hotspots are mentioned in the novels. The capital of the Cherokee Nation—one of three federally recognized Cherokee tribes—is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, seventy miles southeast of Tulsa, where the Cherokee Nation maintains over 66,000 acres of land. The Native American inspiration in the series comes naturally as part of the setting and resonates with authenticity.

  Nine percent of the entire population of Oklahoma is of Native American descent, and a large part of that percentage is Cherokee; the Cherokee Nation is the largest Indian tribe in Oklahoma, with more than 290,000 citizens. The influence of the Cherokee culture can be seen in many ways in this part of Oklahoma, from street and park names like Tahlequah Road and Sequoyah State Park, to arts and crafts like basket-weaving, marble-making, and coloring fabric with dyes made from weeds and tree bark. Cherokee clothing styles, such as the Cherokee Ribbon Shirt and the Tear Dress, are still worn in the area.

  But it’s not by accident that the Cherokee have roots in Oklahoma. A tragic page in U. S. history chronicles how they were forced from their homes back East and relocated to the Midwest against their will. During the 1800s, the U.S. government designated Oklahoma as Indian Territory and rounded up all the eastern Native American tribes to relocate there, uprooting them from the only hunting grounds and lands they knew. Americans called it Indian Removal, but the Cherokee had a more fitting name—The Trail of Tears.

  While some tribes agreed to the relocation, others did not. Those that refused were forced to go anyway by U.S. troops. The Cherokee Nation was one of the largest of the eastern tribes who refused to make the move. They had been peaceful allies to the United States and asked for the Supreme Court to intervene on their behalf. The high court decided in favor of the Cherokee, ruling that they could stay in their homes, but President Andrew Jackson sent his army to force the Cherokee out despite the Supreme Court’s decision. Thousands of Cherokee and other Natives died in the treacherous journey across the country. It was winter and many were not prepared for such a grueling trip. It was a dark time in U.S. history.

  But the Cherokee Nation survived.

  Today, members of the Cherokee Nation live primarily in fourteen counties in northeastern Oklahoma. The Cherokee Nation holds significant businesses, corporations, real estate, and agricultural interests, and they have become an influential and positive force in Oklahoma. They are integrated into every aspect of daily life within the state, but they have sovereign status granted to them by treaty and law. The Cherokee have their own tax code and raise taxes to provide governmental services for their citizens, subsidized by their casino operations. They maintain health clinics throughout Oklahoma, contribute to community development programs, build roads and bridges, and construct schools and universities for their citizens. A Marshal Service employs law enforcement officers that live within the fourteen county jurisdictions. In short, the Cherokee in Oklahoma are doing everything in their power to sustain and revitalize their culture. The Cherokee language is being preserved, historic sites are being restored, and museums are being endowed. And the Cherokee’s ancient history, culture, and ceremonies are being honored.

  The Cherokee people are not simply a people defined by their past; they intend to be an integral part of the future, as well. As Cherokee spiritual leader Redbird Smith wrote, “The fires kept burning are merely emblematic of the greater Fire, the greater Light, the Great Spirit. I realize now as never before, it is not only for the Cherokees, but for all mankind.”

  With the ancient blood of a proud and enduring people running through her veins, it is no wonder that Zoey Redbird is such a courageous heroine.

  THE CHEROKEE MATRIARCHAL SOCIETY—THEN & NOW

  With other Native American tribes to choose from, why did the authors of the House of Night series pick the Cherokee as Zoey’s ancestors? One reason is that the Cherokee are a vital part of the Tulsa setting and culture, but perhaps another answer can be found in a closer examination of Cherokee society.

  Women have always played and continue to play an important role in the Cherokee Nation. Traditionally, the Cherokee were farming people, and unlike other, more nomadic tribes, they lived in settled villages, usually located near water. Women harvested crops and gathered berries, nuts, and fruit to eat. They also cared for the young and the elderly, and made clothing, instruments, weapons, and tools. Men traded, made war, handled diplomacy, and hunted (though women were known to occasionally hunt buffalo alongside them and even go into battle). Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork, music, and traditional medicine, but women were the landowners. In short, women were in charge of farming, property, and family. And while men made political decisions for the tribe, women made social decisions for their clans.

  In Cherokee society, there can be many clans within the larger context of a tribe. Today, the Cherokee Nation’s seven clans are purely bureaucratic artifacts of ancient Cherokee culture, but even now, family lines are still determined by the mother’s clan. Children automatically become members of the mother’s clan at birth. (Consequently, if a non-Cherokee woman marries a Cherokee man, the children of that union would not have a clan and traditionally would not be considered Cherokee.)

  In the past, each matrilineal clan was run by its own Council of Women, a group of Clan Grandmothers led by a Beloved Woman (or Ghigua). Ghigua were chosen on an annual basis and were picked for many reasons: for bravery in battle, or for some other noteworthy quality, such as a knowledge of healing or an ability to make fair and just decisions for the clan. This recognition was the greatest honor a Cherokee woman could receive. In addition to acting as the head of her clan’s Council of Women, every Ghigua held a p
restigious voting seat in the tribe’s main political body, the Council of Chiefs. The Cherokee Council of Chiefs was historically comprised of the clans’ male chiefs, but anyone could attend and speak at a council meeting, including women. The Chiefs listened to discussion on issues brought to the council before recommending a course of action and waiting for a consensus, which would then become their final ruling. And women had considerable influence in these debates.

  If an individual broke ancient Cherokee laws, they were brought before the appropriate Clan Grandmothers for judgment. These women were strict and would show no mercy to those who had committed serious breaches of social conduct. The decisions and rulings of these Grandmothers were not questioned. They also acted as their people’s advisors and guides and served as ambassadors and peace negotiators between the clans. Grandmothers of one clan would also join with the Grandmothers of other clans when important decisions needed to be made for the whole village or tribe.

  Clan Grandmothers are still highly respected, obeyed, and honored today. Because of the Council of Women and the role of the Ghigua, respect for women in Cherokee society has been passed down through the generations. Today, Cherokee women can be Chiefs and have full votes in all councils. (The first woman to serve on the Council of Chiefs as a Chief herself was Wilma P. Mankiller, who was Principal Chief—the head of the Council—from 1985–1995.)

  Ghigua no longer exist in our world—the last official Cherokee Ghigua was Nancy Ward, who died in 1822. But in the House of Night series, Kalona uses the term to refer to Sylvia Redbird in Hunted. And when Sylvia tells Zoey the legend of Kalona and A-ya in Untamed, she says it’s the Ghigua Women of the Cherokee that created A-ya and trapped Kalona underground. The duties of the Ghigua in the House of Night may be a little different than in the real world, but their job was the same: to protect their clan and tribe. With Zoey Redbird coming from such a strong lineage of empowered women, it isn’t a stretch to believe she can be the most powerful High Priestess the House of Night has ever seen.