Little Big Chief is past his prime. Now his village is under attack by a three-legged, 17-toed, loud-growling, fierce and hungry Grizzly Bear.
This exciting story combines adventure, courage, and wisdom. It honors our Native American heritage while respecting our lifestyles and values.
–Former Chief Gordon Thayer, Twelve years on Tribal Governing Board, four years as Chief/Chairman, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Tribe, Hayward, Wisconsin
Opening:
Away in the hills of the Okanagan
Lived an Indian tribe in its pointed wigwams,
A tribe that had for its chief a man
Who kept food in the food pots, peace in the clans,
Who had sturdy legs, though he wasn’t very tall,
And as a hunter no one beat him from the spring to the fall
He’d been a good chief, but now whispers began
He was getting too old to be head of the clan
He had wrinkle marks from his toes to his chin,
Could he keep enemies out but food within?
His muscles were weak, his tummy round,
He no longer slept like a brave on the ground,
But on a buffalo robe, warm and snug,
Like a warm little bug in a snug little rug
He heard the whispers but he just gave a shrug,
For he was chief of the proud-hearted, fast-running, bright-feathered, brave-hunting Native People,
Boom boom boom boom
Boom boom boom boom
Boom boom boom boom
Boom boom boom boom
Children change from wide-eyed anticipation to giggles and back again as they listen to this delightful, rhythmic tale of long-ago Indian lore. Then they plead, “Read it again.”
–Connie Lounsbury, author, Reaching Past the Wire: A Nurse at Abu Ghraib
This Native American legend will captivate and intrigue young readers as the old chief goes in search of the three-legged brown grizzly bear. Great for classroom or home, juvenile audiences will delight in reading this adventuresome tale.
–Susan Sampsen, M.Ed., Ed.S., Reading Specialist
Little Big Chief won first prize in our International Short Story Contest 2007. This is an exciting captivating human adventure that reveals the strengths and weaknesses in us all.
–J. Monty Wilson, CEO, Verona Publishing, Minneapolis, MC
