Modoc: The Tribe That Wouldn't Die

by Cheewa James

Overview

In Modoc: The Tribe That Wouldn't Die, Cheewa James, a direct descendent Modoc War hero Shkeitko, aka "Shacknasty Jim", recounts the explosive and personal story of her ancestors in a richly documented, non-fiction narrative that occasionally incorporates fictionalized inserts to help bring the story to life-an asset for school and family reading. Covering Modoc history from ancestral times to the present, this unique book includes over 100 rare black and white photographs of the Modoc War, historic Modoc men, women and children--many handed down through Cheewa's family--and life from times past. There are 40 color photographs of Modocs and their activities in current times. The book contains accounts from the letters of soldiers and eye-witnesses never before published. The six-month long Modoc War, fought in 1872-73, pitted some fifty-five Modoc warriors against 1,000 U.S. soldiers in the jagged, hostile terrain of today's Lava Beds National Monument, where both warriors and families held out in Captain Jack's Stronghold, a massive lava-cave maze named after the Modoc leader. The surviving Modocs were exiled to Oklahoma Indian Territory, where they faced the added trauma of disease and corrupt officials. Some later returned to the Klamath Reservation in Oregon, where Cheewa was born.

This edition has been updated by the author for the 150th Anniversary of the Modoc War, 2022 - 2024. Commemorations held on ancestral Modoc land will acknowledge and honor the descendants of Modocs, settlers, and military personnel from this unforgettable time in Native American history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780879612757
Publisher:	Naturegraph & Keven Brown Publications
Publication date:	09/17/2021
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	786,086
Product dimensions:	5.58(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

Cheewa James was born on the Klamath Reservation in Oregon and raised in Taos, New Mexico. She is a direct descendant of Modoc War hero Shkeitko, colorfully renamed "Shacknasty Jim" by non-Native people. Her full name Cheewa-wee, meaning "beginning of a basket" in the Modoc language, was given to her by the last woman survivor of the Modoc War. The cover of Cheewa's book is a photo of her Modoc father, Clyde James. Cheewa is enrolled with the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma. A master storyteller and professional keynote speaker, she is also an award-winning television producer and on-air talent. Cheewa attended Colorado College, University of Oregon, and NW Missouri State. Her degree is in English and speech.

Table of Contents

Foreword     11
Acknowledgments     13
Chronology     15
The Modoc War     17
Prelude     19
Roots of War     25
Back Home in Lost River Country     37
The Two Jesses     45
Lost River Battle     51
The Nightmare Escalates     63
Confronting the Stronghold     71
Begin the Body Count     77
Words, Words, and More Words     91
To Kill or Not to Kill-That is the Question     103
Second Battle for the Stronghold     119
Thomas-Wright Battle     127
The Beginning of the End     137
Jack's Legs Give Out     147
A Trial, Hanging, and an Exile     159
Modoc Post-War     169
The Exile     171
The Greed for Modoc Land Continues     177
The New Homeland     181
The Jones Family Indian Ring     189
Enter an Old Friend     195
More Modoc Death     203
Changing Cultures     211
The Last Historical Chief     221
The Return to Oregon     229
Two Tribes     239
The ClosingChapters     251
Ancestral Modocs     263
In the Beginning     265
The Land is Our Brother     271
The Modoc as a Social Creature     279
Sun, I Pray to You to Guide Me     285
Warfare Modoc Style     293
Endnotes: Part One     297
Endnotes: Part Two     308
Bibliography     315
Index     321

Editorial Reviews

"Cheewa's father, Clyde James, and I are both enshrined in the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. The riveting story of his Modoc background speaks eloquently of the sacrificed, pain and determination our tribal nations have experienced"

-Billy Mills, Oglala Sioux, 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist

" Thrilling reading! I admire Cheewa's attention to detail in her quest for the historic truth of her people, especially its women.

-Mary Youngblood, Aleut/Seminole, Emmy Winner Flute Player

From the Publisher