D'Arcy McNickle is regarded as one of the founders of Native American literature and ethnohistory, and, in a way, his work typifies the original Western American story. Critics credit McNickle, along with Mourning Dove and John Joseph Matthews, with being one of the first important Native American writers, paving the way for such authors as M. Scott Momaday and Louise Erdrich. McNickle's interests in Native American culture and cross-cultural communication colored his life's work. His career with the government was oriented toward giving Indians more opportunities and educating the public regarding Indian culture; the little time that remained he spent in crafting novels and papers that both argued his political and philosophical points and satisfied his muse.

McNickle was a writer and an historian, a policymaker and an activist, a researcher and an educator; but above all he was Métis (from the French, meaning "blending" or...