The Scout, THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF and free give-away

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bannerHowdy!  And Welcome to another Tuesday Blog!

Before I go into the most interesting part of the blog and tell you some more about the awesome abilities of the American Indian scouts of old, I wanted to say again that I’ll be giving away a Trade Paper copy of THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF to some lucky blogger.  This is valued at $15.00.  Just leave a comment and you are automatically entered into the drawing for the book (void where prohibited).

Let me mention again that my schedule is intense and I rarely have a moment to myself most days…and so I rely on you to come to the blog tomorrow (Wednesday — usually at night) to see if you have won.  Sometimes I pick a winner and post it, and never hear from them, and that saddens me because it is a rare occasion when I can find the time to go and look that person up.  So please, please be sure to check back tomorrow — it should be posted by evening — and see if you are the winner, okay?  All you have to do is drop me an email and we’ll figure out how to get a book to you, if you are the winner.  And yes it is true that I am giving away a $15.00 value copy of the book THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF.  So do come in and leave a message.

apachescout4THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF, which is just out in Tradepaper format, is a book about a hero who is among other things, a scout.  In researching this profession, I ran across some extremely interesting abilities that these men of old had.  And in my last post I had promised  to cover in more detail how a scout could tell from a mere trail the thoughts, health, etc. of the man/woman/animal who had left that trail.  This information, some of which I’ll quote, comes from the book, THE WAY OF THE SCOUT by Tom Brown, Jr., a man, who as a young boy was taken under the wing of an old Apache scout, and who was trained by that man as a scout.  Grandfather is what Mr. Brown called this old Apache scout.  So this passage is from this book.

“(Grandfather) defined the tracking that we had done as typical or novice tracking, but the tracking of the scout was defined as master tracking.  Even at the onset, the difference became obvious.  Grandfather told us that the earth was like an open book, filled with stories.  These stories were written not only in the softest ground but also on every other type of soil even on rock…”

arikarascoutMr. Brown goes on to say, “To this day, the greatest tracking thrill of my life was when Grandfather first showed me how to read track “compressions” in impossible soils and on solid rock…”

And here is where one really begins to learn about the old American Indian Scouts (which, let me repeat here — those scouts who worked for the United States army were not the scouts of old).  Anyway, again, another quote from THE WAY OF THE SCOUT, “You must stop looking at the tracks as lifeless depressions in the ground. Instead, and you have noticed inside of the track is a tiny landscape.  There are hills, valleys, peaks, ridges, domes, pocks, and countless other little features.  These features the scouts developed into a science, that which they call the ‘pressure releases.’  It is through these pressure releases that the scout can know everything about the animal or man that he is tracking.  The scouts of my clan could identify and define over four thousand of these pressure releases, and I know of no peoples of the earth that have been able to do the same.”

curlycrowscoutMr. Brown goes on to explain in his book how these pressure releases can be read and identified, and he goes on to say that because man or animals are stabilized by their feet on the ground, they are always in motion and always having to keep balance — even to the tiniest of moves.  It’s because of this constant need to keep balance and shift that produces the “pressure releases.”

IndianScouts2Mr. Brown goes on to say that he and his friend, Rick, who was learning about tracking also, would start to identify their own moods and look at the pressure releases and note the difference between that mood and some other emotion — and study their own tracks — he says that everyone became a source of study.

He even goes on to say that “Grandfather taught us to expand our awareness and tracking beyond even that level.  He would stand beside a tree, point to a missing limb and ask, “How long ago was this done?  What did it and how?  What direction did the cutter come from?  Was his axe or saw dull or sharp, was he right- or left-handed, what degree of strength did he have?  Grandfather told us that we should always hold one question in our minds at all times:  What is this telling me?”

Charles EastmanIndian&boyscoutsBy the way, the picture to the left is a picture of a young Charles Eastman, a Sioux Indian, who became a lawyer for his people.  I believe (please correct me if I am wrong) that it was Charles Eastman who established the Boy Scouts long, long ago.  Charles Eastman also wrote several books with the help of his wife, whom he met in collage.  She was white.  I believe some time ago, there was a television story concerning Charles Eastman and his wife, and I believe that Adam Beach played the part of Charles Eastman.  This was an interesting fact to learn for me, because I have never really known that the Boy Scouts came to us from the American Indian — I had never stopped to consider it until I read about it from either one of Charles Eastman’s books or another book.

adambeachascharleseastmanAt the left here is a picture of Adam Beach playing Charles Eastman.  : )

Well, that’s all for today.  Next blog I’d like to tell you a little about the water dance of the scout.  Did you know there was such a thing?  I can’t help but think sometimes that it is a shame that one culture coming in will often destroy the culture that is there already.  There is so much we could have learned from the American Indian of old.  I always look forward to these blogs so that I can tell you a little about what I’ve learned because I think it so vital to keep these things alive.

SpiritoftheWolf-The-R -- first draftRemember THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF is on sale here:  http://www.samhainpublishing.com/book/5090/the-spirit-of-the-wolf

Pick up your copy today.

 

Karen Kay
Website | + posts

KAREN KAY aka GEN BAILEY is the multi-published author of American Indian Historical Romances. She has written for such prestigious publishers as AVON/HarperCollins, Berkley/Penguin/Putnam and Samhain Publishing. KAREN KAY’S great grandmother was Choctaw Indian and Kay is honored to be able to write about the American Indian Culture.
Please refer to https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules for all contest rules.

72 thoughts on “The Scout, THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF and free give-away”

  1. Just fascinating thank you. Where do you source your information? Just curious, because the research would be most interesting.

    • Hi Mary!

      This information comes from the book, THE WAY OF THE SCOUT, which I originally ran across in a second hand store. I’m always looking for info on the American Indian and I sometimes scour AMAZON looking for such things. Another source of info is George Catlin, who went amongst the tribes of old and painted their pictures. He left a wonderful source of info. : )

  2. Hi Karen. your articles are always so interesting. I wish they were all in a book I could buy. For it is hard for me to remember these things. I hope I’m not one of your winners without knowing it for I love your books. But, sometimes I forget since I usually get an email from P & P’. Thanks for the giveaway. Maxie > mac262(at)me(dot)com <

    • Oh, Maxie, thank you for your heartfelt compliments. I feel as though I know you from these blogs. : ) Much of the info I have eventually finds its way into a book — without seeming to invade the story — I hope. : )

  4. Hello, Kay : )

    Thank you for offering a great giveaway and a another fascinating look at the humanity in history. American Indian scouts were the forensic scientists of their day. They did it all with their natural intuition and their amazing powers of observation–plus a powerful dose of common sense. My mother, who was raised “in the country” here in the mountains of Virginia, was an astute observer, a keen investigator, and a lover of horses. She would have been a fabulous scout or an awesome Pony Express rider!

    Adam Beach is a favorite of mine, and I enjoy seeing him in different character portrayals. Doesn’t he bear a remarkable resemblance to Charles Eastman?

    THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF sounds like an involving, intriguing read with your trademark timeless elements of storytelling.

    • Hi Virgina!

      This is so wonderful to hear from you and read your post, and telling me a bit about your mother. Yes, I think she could have developed into an awesome scout. I passed by a picture I had pulled up of a woman scout — maybe with my next blog, I’ll post that picture — of course, again, these are not the real scouts of old. Those people remain to this day unknown — they wanted it that way. : )

      And thank you for your compliments — goes straight to my heart.

  8. Hello this is so interesting. I recently learned that I have some Native American heritage in my bloodline through my mother’s side and love reading about this. Thanks for the giveaway.

    • Hi Yvonne!

      This is a wonderful thing to discover, isn’t it? I still remember the day I found out about my own heritage, which had been denied for so long. It was trilling. : )

  11. What a fascinating post, Karen,thank you for it.
    Now that is most impressive that they could tell so much by just looking at the prints.min all honesty I am not surprised. Back then people were more in tune with the earth and nature, were more in tune with stopping and listening to what our bodies had to say, natural healing sand our own spirituality .
    Thank you for the most informative and interesting post !

    Deanne. Cnnamongirl at aol dot com

    • Hi Deanne!

      Thank you very much for your compliments and telling me your thoughts. I never know when I post something how it will be received. I keep thinking that because I find it so interesting, many other people might also. : )

  12. My husband is a history fanatic, but we love him anyway. Lol When we were discussing your blog he felt it pertinent to tell me each and every instance where Native Americans were enlisted to help the U.S. government in war time, up to and including the WWII Codetalkers. It’s hard to watch a movie with him already, and now he wants to check out my books. Haha haha. Gotta love him. You taught him something new, thank you!!

    • Hi Corey Lea!

      What a compliment you’ve given me. I love history, also. I didn’t in school, you know — in school it was made out to be so boring, but real history is so alive and full of a thirst to know more. So I do understand him being a fanatic about it. : ) Yes, have him read my newest, THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF or THE PRINCESS AND THE WOLF — these two books are filled full of info on the scout — hopefully without being boring. : )

  13. That was absolutely fascinating! Thank you. I agree with Deanne Patterson. We have lost the art of relating to nature and appreciating all of God’s gifts. Life is just too complicated. I am looking forward to your new book.

    • Oh, Gosh, Whitney, I couldn’t agree more. In some ways, I think that science has failed us — instead of using all these wonderful new discoveries to help man, we now have poisons in our food, environment, water, air — and it goes on and on…

      We have lost touch, I think, with what matters most to each human being. Thanks for your thoughts. : )

  14. This was so fascinating, Karen! Something sure has been lost in our instant/fast culture…makes me aware how important it is to have people like you who remind us. I’m sharing this with my father–he grew up on a farm and knew how to “read nature” too –although not to the extent of a scout. On our hikes through the country he would point out all kinds of interesting facts. (A good memory for me.)

    • Hi Kathryn!

      Thanks so much for this. It’s interesting that I do this with my grandkids, also — we’ll be somewhere and I’ll pipe up with some observation from nature. : ) My granddaughter (who is only four) said something to me about that the other day. : )

  16. Hi Karen,
    I don’t believe I have ever read a book about Native Americans. Your detailed writing on the scout is very interesting. I think I may find this a very interesting story.

    • Hi Sue!

      Your comment has made my day, I think. I would so love to have you read and perhaps start to love the American Indian way of life — before we lost it…

  18. Learning more about Native Americans is very interesting. I remember studying about Native Americans when I was in grammar school and I was impressed by their skills and knowledge.

    • Hi Mary!

      That’s great that you even learned something about them — the only I remember from school is one astute teacher who said that we had treated the Indian in a bad way. I still remember wondering about that — and eventually I found out what she was talking about. : )

  19. I think we’ve been done a great disservice in schools that did not care to teach us about the American Indian. Since young, I always thought they were the better people as compared to the Puritans that took over this country. It’s a shame the victors get to rewrite history to their liking! Always fascinated by your posts.

  20. Oh, gosh, Catslady, I couldn’t agree more. I found history so boring in school — maybe it’s because it was mostly lies. Real history, when one takes the time to learn it and see it — is so important because only then can we perhaps stop making the same mistakes over and over and over and over…

  21. Hi Karen,
    It’s been a while since I posted. I just lost my husband a few months ago and it has been pretty rough for me. Just got back into being able to concentrate on reading these days. I have read the except of the book and it sounds so exciting and am always interested in reading your books because you do so much research when you write each book

    • Hi Sharon!

      Gosh, it’s good to hear from you. I’m so sorry that you have lost your husband. Please accept my deep sympathy — may life become a little better each day for you and may some joy in each day lift your spirits. Thanks for coming to the blog today — it’s good to hear from you again.

  22. Hi Kay, oh what a wonderful post. I love coming here to learn more about Native culture. And give me some Adam Beach any day. Sigh. We definitely need more education at every level about the people who lived here before us, and especially, how they were mistreated.

  24. I love the pics you share to give a visual to your posts… always learn something interesting! Thanks for sharing!

  25. Very interesting read and very informative and love the photos really add to it and as for the book can’t wait to read it. Thanks x 🙂

    • Hi Ellan!

      Thank you so much for saying that. I actually do a bit of research on the photos and most of those were scouts for the US Army — they weren’t real scouts that I’m talking about in my blog or books — but it’s the best that we have.

  26. Very interesting read and very informative and loving the photos they really add to it. And as for the book can’t wait to read it thanks x 🙂

  27. THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF sounds wonderful.Please enter me in contest. Thank you for the opportunity to win.

  28. That sounds like a very interesting story. I’m not familiar at all with US Army scouts. Sounds like a book I would love to read.

  30. I really love tghe detailthat you share in your books, you have so much interesting information, it helps with my writing

  35. Hi, Karen. Interesting post as usual. I did a bit of checking about the Boy Scouts. BSA was incorporated by W. D. Boyce, Edward Stewart, andStanley D. Willis on Feb. 8, 1910. Charles Alexander Eastman became involved with scouts the same year when he took a job with the Boy Scouts of America as their Indian advisor. So although he didn’t found BSA, he did get in at the beginning.

    • Hi Patricia!

      Great! Thank you so much for your research on this. I had seemed to remember that he had something to do with the boy scouts — I think he wrote about it in his books. Great research. : )

  36. Very informative post. I never knew the boy scouts were started by an American Indian either. Quite interesting.

    Smiles & Blessings,
    Cindy W.

    countrybear52 AT yahoo DOT com

  38. Thanks for the chance to win this book and the look into some Indian history. It was so interesting.

  39. Hi Karen,

    What an informative post. I love to learn about Native Indians (through both my Mom and my Dad, I have Native Indian blood – Canadians Native Indians). Sadly, though, there’s no one left in the family to tell me more about it. I’ve always loved history (not so much at school because, just like you said, it was more often than not boring). I’d love to win one of your books. Thanks for the chance.

    • Hi Liette!

      Like you, there isn’t anyone in my family nowadays that can tell me more about my American Indian heritage. I’m just glad that I know about it. : ) Thanks for coming to the blog.

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