Curt Orloff

Thunder in the Wind Curt Orloff

Thunder in the Wind is a historical novel concerning the assimilation reservation American Indians underwent at the turn of the twentieth century. The first part of the work describes how the Assiniboine, and one family in particular, deal with the onslaught of a society that not only was technologically superior, but also thought itself so morally superior it treats the tribe as if it was a hopeless dependent. The second part follows the exploits of the main character as he tries to unite the Plains, Great Basin, and Southwestern tribes in revolt, not to defeat the whites, but to scare them so badly they would restore to the Indians the selfhood they had stolen. Miskaw deals with the same trials Tecumseh experienced early in the previous century while uniting the tribes east of the Mississippi and, in dealing with them learns several truths about himself and the human condition. If not for hubris, the outcome of his endeavor may have been dramatically different.