Red Thunder [Hardcover]

David Matheson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2002

RED THUNDER is a memoir of a People, the Schee-tsu-umsh Indians, now called the Coeur d'Alene Tribe in Northern Idaho, USA. The story follows several generations of the tribe from birth to adulthood, old age to death and explores the themes of courage, family, love, tragedy and hope.

The author has translated genuine oral histories and incorporated them into the lives of Sun Bear, Rainbow Girl and the tribe of Schee-tsu-umsh Indians. This authentic work displays the rich cultural teachings behind Native American life in a very real and relevant sense that is applicable to our times.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Using an oral history about the life of legendary "prophet chief" Circling Raven, as well as the stories still told by elderly Coeur d'Alene (or Schitsu'umsh) Indians, author and tribal member David Matheson reconstructs the world of an Idaho Native American family in the early 1700s. Told in the first person, Red Thunder follows a boy called Sun Bear as he learns the teachings of the tribe lessons in when to wage war, the spiritual connection with the land and the relationship between humans and other animals from his elders. (Feb.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Red Thunder is a story of belonging--with and to Earth, Tribe, Spirit--a belonging missing from many lives today. -- Christina Crawford, author of Mommie Dearest

"[Red Thunder] was the best book this writer has read this year, maybe even in many years." -- Brent Andrews, Coeur d'Alene Press

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 326 pages
• Publisher: Media Weavers Llc; First Edition edition (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964721252
• ISBN-13: 978-0964721258
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,929,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Matheson was born on the Coeur d' Alene Indian Reservation in 1951 at the home of his grandparents, Nick and Margaret Campbell. Since his birth, Matheson has been a member of the Schi'tsu'umsh people, now called the Coeur d' Alene Tribe.

His native language is the Salish dialect, which is unique to this tribe, but shares common elements with the languages of other northern plateau tribes including the Spokane, the Flathead, the Okanogan, and the Kalispel.

Matheson holds an M.A. in Business Administration from the University of Washington. Over the past twenty years, Matheson has held many esteemed positions and has received many honors for his work in preserving cultural traditions, the native language, and ceremonial practices. He has served as the Deputy Commissioner for Indian Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior; the CEO for Coeur d'Alene Development Enterprises; an advisor for the President's Commission on Reservation Economies; a delegate to the People's Republic of China's Native American Trade Mission; and a recipient of Commendation from the Secretary of the Interior for Outstanding Service.

David Matheson was CEO of the Coeur d' Alene Casino & Resort Hotel in Worley, Idaho, which was voted #1 casino in the Spokesman Reader Review for three consecutive years. He has served as a Council leader, Tribal Chairman, and manager of various tribal operations. He has received many honors for his work in preserving cultural traditions, the native language, and ceremonial practices.

Matheson has spent a lifetime learning and living the teachings of the Coeur d'Alene. Hunting, root digging, berry picking, and camping are a major part of his and his wife's regular routine, as are observing the Tribe's traditions and ceremonial dances and events. He has worked and lived most of his adult life on the reservation, where he has served as a Council leader, the Tribal Chairman, and manager of various tribal operations. He walks adroitly in both the Indian and Anglo worlds. He has accomplished this by integrating traditional tribal teachings and practices into his successful business career.

In his spare time, Matheson enjoys training and riding horses, competing in cutting and reining, as well as participating in Native American traditional dances and pow wows. He resides in Northern Idaho with his wife, Jenny. They have six adult children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I had to review this book. It was wonderful, September 9, 2003

By 

LaLoren - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Thunder (Paperback)

It's been a while since I reviewed a book, but I had to review this one, because of how much I enjoyed it. That this is Matheson's first attempt at a novel is clear. At times the writing is unsophisticated, and there are a few errors that could have been caught by a good editor, but these are more than made up for by the wonderful story he tells.

What makes this novel, or really history, so unusual is that, unlike most of what we read by and about American Indians, this tells a tale of life before white contact. It is a story of spirituality passed down from generation to generation.

In telling this tale for Indians and non-Indians, Matheson takes care not to reveal sacred rituals, yet I defy anyone who reads it to feel that anything is missing. This is a moving story for all people. Whether or not you believe in the reality or significance of what he tells, you cannot help but feel the deep spirituality of his characters who spend much of their life in prayer and appreciation of thier surroundings.

Matheson can add to his credits of MBA and former tribal chairman, the title of master story teller.

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless wisdom, July 3, 2003

By 

Dr Nancy A Anderson (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Thunder (Paperback)

Red thunder is a rare phenomenon, a decisive sign from the Creator in the book that bears its name. Author David Matheson relates that it was a story within him, crying to be written-a story that had never before been told outside the Schee-tsu-umsh tribe. The full story of the times before first contact with Europeans, the times of the legendary Prophet Chief Circling Raven, was a precious secret. The elders guarded their stories because of deep feelings to protect what they had left after first contact when the tribe was renamed Coeur d'Alene. As an elder and former Tribal Chairman, Matheson decided that now was the time to share this remarkable, revered story that depicts actual accounts of the early 1700s when the tribal territory encompassed some four million acres of what are now Northern Idaho, Eastern Washington, and Western Montana. The story is told through the eyes of Sun Boy, whose family band camps near the Huckleberry Mountains. He is 11 years old when the book begins. Sun Boy, whose manhood name becomes Sun Bear because of his harrowing but brave encounter with a grizzly that had attacked his father, relates the story of his extended family and their tribe as he grows up, eventually becoming a respected warrior and a beloved husband and father. However, the main character of the book is his younger sister Rainbow Girl who symbolizes Mother Earth. The book's explicit theme is, "There really is no difference between our everyday life and religion; and no difference between religion and ceremony. So we pray to the Kolunsuten [Creator] to sanction all that we do religiously and ceremonially first, bringing ourselves near to nature that He would move to bless us and fulfill our prayers through nature" (p. 299). When Sun Bear is 21, the plot begins to unfold with the central character, Rainbow Girl, and the tragedy that sets in motion the plot that climaxes with the Creator's miracle for which Chief Circling Raven had beseechingly sought to save his people. Though Sun Bear and his family are fictional characters, the compassionate Chief Circling Raven-whose prophecies were divinely inspired-and the supernatural events (which parallel the biblical account of the parting of the Red Sea) that save them from both the enemy and Grandfather Winter, are actual accounts from the Schee-tsu-umsh people's oral history. Red Thunder is a strong and powerful book with an exciting plot that has both traditional religion and timeless wisdom intricately woven within. ...

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful experience, April 23, 2003

By 

Meyacha Wakan "The Raven King" (Veradale, Wa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Thunder (Hardcover)

From beginning to end this book is a wonderful experience for the reader. This book educates the reader about life as a Native American while telling a beautiful story. Impossible to put down, I could not wait to see were the author would take me next. Mr. Matheson's writing style is captivating. As the reader, I felt as though I was actually participating in many parts of this book. I eagerly anticipate more books from David Matheson.