Hunting Indians in a Taxi-Cab

"Hunting Indians in a Taxi-Cab" by Kate Sanborn is a lighthearted account centered on the author's pursuit of wooden Indian statues that were formerly well-known signs for tobacco shops. Crafted in the early 1900s, the book radiates the quaint charm of a time when these carvings decorated cigar stores, pointing to bigger cultural ideas about how Native Americans were viewed. Sanborn's journey explores the hunt for these relics, contemplating the fadeout of both the figures and the cultural meanings they stand for. Through a series of essays, Sanborn tells of her personal mission to find and value the skill in these wooden Indians, symbols of a time when Native American culture was more prevalent in American life. The story blends amusing tales of the different statues she finds, like the grand Tacomus and the squaw missing a foot, with background information on the history of these symbols. Using funny comments and sincere thoughts, Sanborn highlights how important it is to save the figures themselves and the stories and memories they hold, criticizing the loss of culture that has made them disappear.