Customer Reviews

Chief Left Hand: Southern Arapaho (Civilization of the American Indian Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A great read for anyone interested in the history of the Plains Indian tribes. It brought to life one of the lessor known, but influential, Indian chiefs of the region. I also learned a great deal about the settling of the Denver/Boulder communities during the Colorado gold rush days.

I live about 20 miles from Niwot, Colorado, the town named for Chief Left Hand's Arapaho name, and know some of the history presented in this book. On the other hand, the level of detail and the obvious amount of research that Ms. Coel has done is impressive. She posts her sources on each page, which I very much like.

Further, the book is not just a collection of disjointed facts. It is very readable and flows roughly with the chronology of Left Hand's life. Very well written, researched, and presented. This one will stay in my library.

I moved to Boulder, CO five years ago and have heard Chief Niwot's name mentioned many times, though I never learned anything substantial about the man. I set out to learn more about this enigmatic character and stumbled across this book.

Wow.

The book begins with Chief Left Hand's birth in the Rockies, progresses through his teenage years, and builds with ever more detail as the author carries us through his adult life and unspeakably tragic death. We are given a solid foundation upon which to build our mental image of this man, of what life was like in his tribe and generally in the world of the Plains Indians both before and during the mass immigration of whites instantaneously and irrevocably brought about a vastly different order.

The detail is substantial and well documented yet the story is riveting and fast paced. As I progressed through the book I found myself smiling at heartwarming events and amused to learn of the history that had happened right here on the soil where my home now sits. But most often I found my heart racing, eager to turn the pages yet recoiling with disgust at the morally reprehensible acts and mind boggling racism and arrogance perpetrated by the people that fill the pages of this book. I was also surprised by the significance of Chief Niwot's life and death in the much romanticized Indian wars, and wondered how his name had been largely lost in obscurity instead of at least being familiar to Americans in the way such figures as Crazy Horse, Geronimo and Sitting Bull are.

This evening after I finished the book I looked out at Boulder Creek and dreamed of the people who lived and died here; of the good times and the broken dreams and all the faces who've looked upon these waters that we'll never know about. In my mind's eye I see the silhouette of Niwot walking tall among the lengthening shadows; a ghost of an entire culture erased not so long ago. I feel awestruck and deeply sad.

Chief Niwot was an amazing man, and the emotional response wrought by this book was entirely unexpected. I'll never look upon his name or the statue along the creek the same way again.

I believe I have read every novel that Margaret Coel has written about the Arapaho tribe. With "CHIEF LEFTHAND....", I was expecting another novel. I was surprised that it was not! But I began reading it, anyway.

Another surprise was it was history concerning the Colorado plains natives!
In the Denver schools I attended (grades 1 - 12) we were not taught about them from history books nor classes.
From living in the western part of CO, I learned the local history of the Ute tribes of Colorado's "western slope". (CO is divided by the Continental Divide where the waters part & either go to the east U.S. or to the west U.S.)
I hadn't put any thought into the Colorado Plain's Indians. I might have thought the roaming tribes were other tribes from surrounding states north, east, & south of CO. (???)

I've always loved our Native Americans, their lives, culture, & stories. I've felt, even as early as a little girl, they received horrible treatment from too many "whites".
I read about the terrible incidents towards the Arapaho, despite Chief LeftHand continually telling the "white" leaders in the military, in the towns, and the CO Governor, that they (Arapaho) were "peace-full".
The Arapaho demonstrated their peacefulness by not retaliating after whites beat up old men & raped the women when the Arapaho warriors were gone off hunting. Chief LeftHand found it difficult but he was successful in restraining the young bucks from revenge.

Then his tribe was almost wiped out by a surprise attack by a group of men, despite the Arapaho being under the protection of the fort's commander. The attack is called The Sand Creek Massacre.

I was & still am so angry, sad, guilty at being "white", & feel helpless about what happened to them! My feelings are so strong that I wonder, if I'd lived back then, if I'd have become a revengeful "Annie Oakley" of sorts?

This book was an eye-opener for me & very informational reading of CO & Arapaho history.

I gave the book to our one son-in-law for Christmas '09 as he is Navajo & might find it interesting. He is very intelligent, hard working, common sense, loving husband to our daughter, terrific father to their 2 daughters, caring to his parents and we dearly love him! We are proud to call him our son!