{"product_id":"chief-thunderwater-an-unexpected-indian-in-unexpected-places-9780806167312","title":"Chief Thunderwater: An Unexpected Indian in Unexpected Places","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn June 11, 1950, the \u003cem\u003eCleveland Plain Dealer\u003c\/em\u003e published an obituary under the bold headline \"Chief Thunderwater, Famous in Cleveland 50 Years, Dies.\" And there, it seems, the consensus on Thunderwater ends. Was he, as many say, a con artist and an imposter posing as an Indian who lead a political movement that was cruel hoax? Or was he a Native activist who worked tirelessly and successfully to promote Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, sovereignty in Canada? The truth about this enigmatic figure, so long obscured by vying historical narratives, emerges clearly in Gerald F. Reid's biography, \u003cem\u003eChief Thunderwater\u003c\/em\u003e--the first full portrait of a central character in twentieth-century Iroquois history.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Searching out Thunderwater's true identity, Reid documents his life from his birth in 1865, as Oghema Niagara, through his turns as a performer of Indian identity and, alternately, a dedicated advocate of Indian rights. After a near decade as an entertainer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, Thunderwater became progressively more engaged in Haudenosaunee political affairs--first in New York and then in Quebec and Ontario. As Reid shows, Thunderwater's advocacy for Haudenosaunee sovereignty sparked alarm within Canada's Department of Indian Affairs, which moved forcefully to discredit Thunderwater and dismantle his movement.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Self-promoter, political activist, entrepreneur: Reid's critical study reveals Thunderwater in all his contradictions and complexity--a complicated man whose story expands our understanding of Native life in the early modern era, and whose movement represents a key moment in the development of modern Haudenosaunee nationalism.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eReid, Gerald F.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eGerald F. Reid\u003c\/b\u003e is Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eKahnawà ke: Factionalism, Traditionalism, and Nationalism in a Mohawk Community\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Oklahoma Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50377911435538,"sku":"9780806167312","price":38.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0e369d5c-07ce-4534-b751-88941de2e8a3.jpg?v=1728635591","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/chief-thunderwater-an-unexpected-indian-in-unexpected-places-9780806167312","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}