Last of the Mohicans (Fanfiction)

Three valiant surviving Native-Americans find violence and romance in 18th Century America, amidst incredible continental dues.

PROLOGUE

Before retiring from short-story and comics-writing, I wanted to offer up a fanfiction 'copycat' personalized rendition of the 1992 remake The Last of the Mohicans (Michael Mann), an elegiac treatment of the James Fenimore Cooper grand American continent history of the struggle and drama of the surviving/enduring Native-American peoples during the early days of colonial America and the time of English wars with French rulers allied to adversarial Natives which generated much folklore about the resilience of the human condition in the face of great change/distress. I wanted to offer this personalized film-fanfiction as an homage to really what makes human 'behavior' storytelling representative of great civilization/anthropological daydreams. It's a great story about American nature and what shaped America to become a land of migration-pensive honor. There's also this prologue to the short-fanfiction itself describing my personal experiences/ties to Native-American culture/studies from Dartmouth College. This is a great Michael Mann film, and I'd recommend the Blu-ray to any fan of Native-American/American history!

Before attending Dartmouth, which was the first Ivy League to focus primarily on the fostering of Native-American posterity with early controversies however. In modern times, Dartmouth hosts an annual Native-American society 'Pow-Wow' event featuring the colors and music of various Native tribes which've endured the long struggle/road during American expansion and development as a superpower. I took a Native-American Studies course at Dartmouth and read about fascinating Lakota tribe folklore such as that of the 'double-woman' and of animal-resurrection powers. I also tried to attend multiple Pow-Wow events while I was an undergrad at Dartmouth and remember the events from my sophomore and senior year. It's always generated great campus photography.

Native-Americans have endured much in its long and strange history on the American continent. They've faced near-extermination during American expansion magic and controversy. Native-Americans were decimated during the development of the United States as a First World Superpower, and tribes enduring through negotiated government grants and socialization wisdom have erected culture-totems such as the Mohegan Sun casino in New England. This is one of the finest examples of Native-America surviving through the story of near-extinction, and the casino is almost like a 'shrine' to modernism.

I've never been to Mohegan Sun myself, but I've seen photos in magazines and on the Internet. It's really a terrific-looking casino/resort center and welcomes many patrons from around the country who seek a lavish alternative to Las Vegas. Mohegan Sun in Connecticut (New England) may be linked to the Ivy school Yale in Connecticut, but, in fact, its executives include alumni-parents of Dartmouth students from New Hampshire (my school!). The Mohegan Sun casino is operated/owned by the Mohegan people, a surviving clan/tribe of Natives who survived the near-extinction of Native-America and continue to flourish with this unusual casino/resort toast to modern capitalism/fantasy.

With that said, this concludes the Prologue to my short-fanfiction rendition of Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans. The spelling 'Mohican' is actually an extrapolation-derivation of 'Mohegan' which is the tribe mentioned operating the proud Native-owned resort-center in modern New England (USA). I recommend the visit to friends who appreciate examples of enduring American history despite controversies. So, I hope you enjoy this retelling of the Mann film, starring Daniel-Day Lewis.

====

Nathaniel 'Hawkeye' and his half-brother Uncas along with their Native-father Chingachgook have run through the forests of New York chasing a wild elk for hunting/food, and the year is 1757. The French and Indian War with English colonial soldiers assigned to secure the British dominion in the New World (America) is going on in the background of course, and Colonel Munro is a Scots-Irish general of the British army assigned to defend Fort Henry for the colonialists, but he's under-siege by French forces allied to adversarial/aggressive Huron Natives ('Indians'), who're led by the cunning French general Montcalm who wishes nothing but to see fur-trading flourish and become the hallmark of American continental expansion, under a more 'pragmatic' view of Indians-networking.

Hawkeye and Uncas and Chingachgook are three of the last surviving members of the Mohican Natives of 'Indians' on the American continent and wander around hunting for food and staying where they can and sometimes finding hospitality among warm American settlers living on the frontier as 'pilgrims' while slowly 'eyeing' interests in a vision of an America perhaps and arguably profitably 'free' from British colonial influence/rule. However, conditions currently favor all intrigue surrounding this French and Indian War with the British army, and General Munro of Fort Henry in the Adirondack Mountains knows his two beautiful adult daughters from Albany are being escorted by the illustrious and somewhat arrogant British major Duncan Heyward who seeks to ask the elder daughter Cora to marry him, despite her personal misgivings. Cora's younger sister Alice has caught the eye of Uncas (of the Mohicans!) while Nathaniel 'Hawkeye' and father Chingachgook have to rescue Duncan/Cora/Alice and their traveling guardsmen from an attacking force of Huron Indians allied to the French.

When Hawkeye explains to Cora that he's been raised by Chingachgook and his 'half-brother' Uncas despite his early English-American roots after his family perished, he tells her that he was given the adopted name 'Hawkeye' and became 'Mohican' by spirit while being raised by his 'Native-father' Chingachgook alongside his 'half-brother' Uncas who's a very quiet but valiant young man of good appearance. Cora finds herself falling in love with Nathaniel 'Hawkeye' and his sense of 'adopted' continental/rugged adventurism and further finds herself refusing marriage-proposals from her intended groom English Major Duncan Heyward. Amidst this drama, Duncan and Hawkeye explain to Cora and Alice's father General Munro at Fort Henry (when they arrive with the British army general's relieved daughters) that Huron Indians allied to the French have been attacking American settlements all along the coast as a 'war-party' but Munro has to calmly reply, "We have to keep down and focus on the French-and-Indian forces moving together to attack British posts/forts with arms, for that's the sad nature of economic warfare in the Americas, but I thank this 'half-adopted Native-American man' Hawkeye for his assistance to Duncan and my grateful daughters!"

General Munro has to eventually surrender his side to the French-and-Indian forces advancing on the poorly-armed Fort Henry in the Adirondack Mountains to the cunning French General Montcalm who's now allied to the ruthless wandering Huron warlord Indian/Native Magua who seeks to murder Munro. Munro is granted 'leave' to leave Fort Henry with his men and daughters and is escorted still by the Mohican 'heroes' Uncas/Nathaniel ('Hawkeye')/Chingachgook as well as Duncan Heyward who still seeks to marry Cora (Munro's elder beautiful daughter). While trekking away from Fort Henry, Munro's party is sabotaged by the Huron 'darkman' Magua who proceeds to kill General Munro, but Duncan and the Mohican 'heroes' (Uncas/Hawkeye/Chingachgook) manage to flee with the fallen valiant general's daughters again (Cora/Alice). Uncas is still 'eyeing' the lovely younger sister of Cora, Alice (the fallen General Munro's younger beautiful daughter!) and considers asking his father 'leave' to court a 'white woman' in this New World. As these survivors of the ruthless/violent Huron attack led by their warlord Magua escape to the cliffs and hide, they're eventually stalked by Magua and his trackers.

NATHANIEL: Magua will find us hiding, so you and Cora flee with Duncan.

CORA: What the hell will you three survivor Mohicans do by staying behind then?

NATHANIEL: We'll delay/distract them to give you time to flee.

CORA: They'll butcher you, sir!

NATHANIEL: That's no concern; we always manage to survive; I'll find you again.

CORA: I'm in love with you.

NATHANIEL: I know, but stay with Duncan...and your sister Alice.

That's the plan and the valiant Mohicans try to carry it out, but in fact, their distraction method fails and Magua and the Huron tracking-party go after Duncan and Cora and Alice instead, forcing the Mohicans to stealthily follow behind the Magua-party all the way to the Huron camp where the lives of these three 'English pawns' will be negotiated in front of the Huron elder-council and Magua's proud war-party. During this Huron camp discussion, the elder-sage of the Hurons admits that this continental hellfire of the American expansion is a devastation to the Indian way-of-life and requires constant negotiation regarding 'dark methods' of valor. He accepts Magua's war-gift in the form of the three English prisoners (Duncan/Cora/Alice) and allows Magua to wander away in peace with his Huron sidekicks as well as the younger daughter Alice as his trophy-bride. However, the Huron sage orders the burning/execution of the older daughter Cora and Duncan Heyward as a rite of vengeance against British authority. The valiant Mohicans (Uncas/Hawkeye/Chingachgook) are spying on this entire proceeding and decide to go in and intervene.

HURON CHIEF: We have no ties to the English and will not return our trophy-prisoners.
NATHANIEL HAWKEYE: We wish to retrieve these three poor souls who're defenseless and exceptionary.
HURON CHIEF: Why're they exceptions, young half-Indian man?
NATHANIEL HAWKEYE: We seek their friendship for the endurance of Mohican storytelling against empire.
HURON CHIEF: Will your destiny see that Magua's war-party is honored for its own march with defiance?
NATHANIEL HAKWYE: I seek to marry the older daughter Cora, and my half-brother Uncas loves the younger.
MAGUA: Alice is mine!

The Huron chief suggests that Cora and Duncan be released and returned to their new Mohican 'courtiers' but Alice will remain with Magua and his wandering war-friends. However, Hawkeye is shocked by this proposal and loudly offers to sacrifice himself as a 'burn-trophy' to the Huron in exchange for the return/reunification of younger Alice to Cora and departing Duncan. However, further drama continues now, when Duncan then suggests that he should be the sacrifice, since he's of pure English army union and will be deemed more of a 'trophy-sacrifice' for Huron vengeance. The Huron chief agrees and allows Duncan to be sacrificed and Hawkeye/Cora flee in tears, realizing Duncan was always more 'honorable' and courageous than he'd ever seemed to them in this awful saga of migration...and death. Further drama is amidst when Magua himself flees with kidnapped Alice and his war-party, forcing the Mohican 'heroes' (Uncas/Hawkeye/Chingachgook) and Cora to trek behind Magua to rescue Alice. It's Uncas who first catches up to the Hurons in the cliffs to rescue Alice whom he sincerely loves, but Magua executes him with ruthless brutality. The horrified father Chingachgook witnesses the bloody murder but avenges the awful tragic death by decapitating Magua in a hand-to-hand fight with Native-blades.

HAWKEYE: We're together now, Cora.

CORA: Alice, Uncas, and Duncan are dead, my love!

HAWKEYE: Such is the 'negotiation' tale of American endurance now, Cora.

CHINGACHGOOK: May the heavens unite my Mohican son Uncas with his Alice.

CORA: Let's put together a more dioramic story for the future of this country, Nathaniel Hawkeye.

HAWKEYE: We're the last of the Mohicans, Cora...for now. 

====

"Money is everything" (Ecclesiastes)