Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-09-27
INDIAN LIFE IS
BOOK THEME

CHIEF BUFFALO CHILD LONG LANCE
WRITES OF CHILDHOOD DAYS
ON MONTANA PLAINS
Member of Blood Tribe of BIackfeet Ma
ton Who Has Achieved Fame in White
Mans Colleges, Athletics. the World
War Tells Stirring Tale OF INFRINGING
Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance, who
rode after buffalo before he ever heard
English spoken, is the author Of Long
Lance" a recently published book pro-
nounced by Irwin s. Cobb to be a val
liable contribution to Americana Once
a papOOse on his mothers back, a baby
on horseback, a boy taking part In
hunting, dancing, medicine" and saw
age fighting, a trick rider. a cowboy
now q college graduate. a West Pointer,
a thrice-wOunded, twice-decOrated cap
tain of infantry, war intelligence serv-
ice man, champion boxer and wrestler,
lecturer for u. s. bureau Of economies,
chief of Blood band of Blackfeet In
dams, authority on the American In
dian and spokesman of the plains
Indians.
Long Lance" is a racy commentary on
the most dramatic period of Indian life.
1t is written by a fullblooded Blackfeet
who in boyhood roamed the plains OF
Montana, Alberta, and Manitoba with the
Tigers of the Plains" during the period
leading out of the old tribal conflicts
into tha marking the coming Of the new
white race. 1t deals with the colorful
experiences of old warriors who are still
living, but who cannot tell their own
| stories because they do not speak the
white mans tongue.
Tit book starts with Chief Long Lance
telling how he and the other Indian
| babies were taught to ride horseback tat
the age Of four); now they were dipped
into icy water till they would toddle
down to the river every morning by
themselves to break a hole in the ice;
how they were encouraged In endurance
games OF whipping and holding fire to
harden their bodies; how their mothers
told them morality fables and drilled
them in grammar while the old warriors
lectured them daily on the social virtues
OF the tribe.
In q swift succession of graphic anec-
! dotes, Chief Long Lance tells OF The tribal
enforcement of truth-telling, of the in
genious system of rewarding members
with earned names and of the awesome
practices of the medicine men. There
are days of preparation for the trek; days
u jim 10 In &dl a. fAAIf toJo - o@&N~
when the throb of drums beat every one
into a joyful or warlike frenzy, happy
days of domestic life. desperate days or
search for the ever-scarcer buffalo. Long
Lance himself rode after buffalo before he
ever saw a white man or heard English
spoken. He took part In inter-tribal raids
and saw bloody fighting with fierce enc
mics among whom there were the Crees,
the Crows, the Sioux, the Assinniboines
| HE daccr{ntipn nf tbn graduation Pxpr-
cises of a warrior during the three day
sun dance, n the terrible test, Is a
mighty tale,
Even the highly Informative passages
about Indian fraternities, the habits OF
the wild animals, the fearlessness of
death, the captivity and training of wild
horses are tied down to specific instances.
The ingenious manner of making friends
with a wild horse can never be forgotten
by a man who knows horses. The en-
counter with q wolverine can never be
forgotten by a nan who hunts animals.
Finally, the ominous rumor Of q white
invader takes form in the young Long
Lance's mind with the appearance OF a
white man. For the first time we get
the viewpoint of an ~Indian-told without
resentment-toward the white strangers,
traders and government agents. A Few
more years of freedom, however uneasy,
"a AAoA . va sttHN sAN~@
ventions seem utterly drab and then the
old life closes down on the youth h
thought he was going to be a warrior, In
one Of the most depressing and ramatic
anti-climaxes in literature. 1t is a brand
new chapter in Americana.
The author, Buffalo Child Long Lance,
is chief of the Blood band Of Blackfeet
Indians I'M generally accepted by all the
plains Indians as their spokesman. He
is a graduate of two colleges, valedictori-
an and most distinguished graduate" of
Carlisle and st. Johns Military Academy,
respectively; a West Pointer; a thrice
wounded twice decorated World war hero.
rising from private to captain of the 50th
battalion Of Calgary: the erstwhile light
heavyweight boxing champion of the
Canadian Expeditionary Forces; a versa
tile athlete and scholar; an explorer: a
lecturer before large audiences, chief of
his people; and, as a writer, an authority
on the American Indian.
Cosmopolitan Book Corporation, pub
fishers, say: "A man OF magnificent APP
p%earance came to our editorial offices last
year and asked questions on the tech
nique OF writing a book. He was not
seen around the Cosmopolitan offices
! again for about q year. Then he re-
turned with a complete manuscript, left
1T silently. and was gone again. The next
day the manuscript was circulating
around the office, page by page, and
! being avidly read by half a dozen people
at once" 1t was only after much per-
suasion that the chief allowed his name
to be used as the title"
Long Lance's mastery of the mechanics
of writing English is complete and his
, style is ruthlessly sparing Of words. 1t
suggests pantomime n is doubtless in
, ~1uenced by the necessity Of economy in
Indian sign language. And, as in sign
language, the narrative form predom-
mates and abstract ideas are conveyed
with picturesque vividness.
When the manuscript of Long Lance"
had been set up, 1t was shown to Irwin
: S. Cobb, h said: Both white man and
Indian are indebted to him.. MIR. Cobb
then prepared a foreword for the book
and in this he writes:
II know of no man better fitted than
Chief Long Lance to write a true book
about the spirit Of the American indian
and / know OF no ook on the subject
which better reveals the spirit OF Indian
youth In the years that are gone and the
spirit OF the times the like OF which will
never be seen again"
Long Lance" is published by the Cos
mopolitan Book Corporation, New York.