Aunt Jane's Nieces and Uncle John - Non-P.C.

Non-P.C.

As with some of his other books, elements in Baum's Aunt Jane's Nieces and Uncle John violate modern standards of racial sensitiviity and political correctness. Baum's view of the Indians of the Southwest is not pleasant; the Navaho are criticized for their "filth and laziness...." The Hopi (Baum calls them the "Moki") are presented somewhat more positively; their leaders speak "excellent English" and their snake dance is "unique" and "picturesque," though the girls find it "nauseating and offensive...."

The interlude at the reservations concludes with the chauffeur Wampus catching an Indian thief and sitting on him until his employers return to their car. As Baum puts it, "The chauffeur, partly an Indian himself, knew well how to manage his captive and quieted the fellow by squeezing his throat with his broad stubby fingers." Wampus threatens to torture and kill the "big Indian," and when Uncle John decides to let the man go Wampus tells him of the "mercy of Great White Chief."

For more perspective on the issue of bias versus tolerance in Baum's works, see: Daughters of Destiny, Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea, and Sky Island.