"KILL THE INDIAN - SAVE THE MAN"
~ Richard Henry Pratt, the founder of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School
The Carlisle Indian Industrial School, founded in 1879, was a prominent Native American boarding school in Pennsylvania. Its mantra, "Kill the Indian - Save the Man," reflected its assimilationist ideology. The school aimed to eradicate Native American culture and replace it with mainstream American values. Students were forcibly separated from their families, subjected to Western education, and discouraged from practicing their native traditions. This approach sought to assimilate Indigenous children into the dominant culture, resulting in the loss of cultural identity and intergenerational trauma. The school's impact continues to be a stark reminder of the damaging effects of forced assimilation policies on Native American communities.
THUNDER FALLS - THE EDUCATION OF LEOPOLD RED WOLF
Thunder Falls chronicles the transformation of Leopold Wolf from a naive young man into an outspoken advocate for Native American rights during the late 1800s.
Leo and his father, Isaac, work for the Carlisle Indian School, an institution governed by the motto “kill the Indian, save the man” and notorious for its harshness, Leo witnesses the abuse, neglect, and victimization of children under the institution’s care and resolves to help them gain the respect their culture deserves.
Leo’s quest takes him to Lakota territory, where elder and holy man Black Elk has a vision of Leo recovering the tribe’s Sacred Pipe, stolen years ago. Leo’s journey into—and under—the Black Hills reveals extraordinary phenomena about the Lakota and about himself. In the caverns of the Black Hills, Leo encounters the red wolf, Thunder Falls, and the Soul Tree, all of which guide him toward his destiny. While pursuing the eternal love of Sarah Cameron—niece of a senator notorious for his enmity against the Lakota—and fighting for Native American rights, Leo crosses the country with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and ultimately risks his life for the people he has come to care for.
“Interesting, poignant and well-developed chronicle of Leopold Wolf. From a young man to the later years as an advocate for Native American rights we follow his timeline. Filled with victimization and abuse, as well as passion for his tribe and the pursuit for his great love, Thunder Falls is a page-turner from beginning to end.”
Available in Print, Ebook and Audio
LISTEN TO AUDIO BELOW
EXCERPT FROM THUNDER FALLS
As the opening number struck its first notes, the curtain parted, and out rode Buffalo Bill on a white horse. He wore a long, pure-white beard, a spotless white cowboy hat, and a fine-looking white leather jacket with a long fringe that danced along in tandem with his prancing white horse. The crowd cheered as the star of the show waved.
Once in the center of the ring, he brought a megaphone to his mouth and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, my name is Buffalo Bill. Welcome to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show!”
A cheer exploded, causing Bill’s horse to buck.
“Whoa!” he said, settling his ride. “White Rocket is excited too!”
“…Gordon’s narrative is fresh and assured with a sense of intrigue and purpose accompanying Leopold’s adventures at every turn and as with Gordon’s previous releases his feel for detail is terrific.
Every one of his characters is an individual and refreshingly his narrative remains clear of trite clichés as he finds the right pace and style for a story that makes a perceptive and important statement about Native American Indians, the West, the American dream and the lengths to which unprincipled men went to attain it…”
