John Rollin Ridge, was a member of the Cherokee Nation, and considered the first Indigenous novelist. Ridge wrote, “The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta: The Celebrated California Bandit,” who is claimed to be the inspiration for the movie, “Mask of Zorro.”
Yellowbird went to Fayetteville and studied law. He published a poem, “To a Thunder Cloud,” in the Arkansas State Gazette, which is considered his first work. After starting a law practice, in 1847 Ridge married Elizabeth Wilson, a white woman, and they had a daughter, Alice, in 1848.
In 1849, Yellowbird killed David Kell, whom he thought had been involved in his father’s assassination. Yellowbird killed Kell over a over a horse dispute. Yellowbird decided to flee to Missouri to avoid prosecution even though a self-defense claim was available to Yellowbird. In 1850, he headed to California to take part in the California Gold Rush and was joined by his wife and daughter.
Yellowbird was an author but his book “The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta: The Celebrated California Bandit,” is his most popular published book.
The Inclusive ScreenWriter 