Old Bull’s Heavenly Visitor & Give-away

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Howdy!

Welcome to another tantalizing Tuesday!  Hope y’all are doing well today.  And I have a special story for you today.  A true story — one I ran across in doing research for the story I’m currently working on.  This is from the book, BEAR CHIEF’S WAR SHIRT by James Willard Schultz, who is writing about his own true experience.

In June of 1877, Schultz’s mother had given him permission to go out west into what was then called Indian Territory on a buffalo hunt — he was to return that same year where he would attend a military academy, but he didn’t return until 1880 and even then, he was there for only 3 months before returning to Indian Country.  Indeed, James Schultz stayed with the Blackfeet and married into the tribe and became a white Blackfeet Indian.  There is a book he has written entitled MY LIFE AS AN INDIAN, and oh my, what a wonderful book it is — filled with thrilling stories.

This story is about one of Schultz’s adventures as a warrior going with a war party to retrieve Bear Chief’s War Shirt.  On the way to determining what tribe might have stolen the shirt and a way to retrieve it, he had many adventures.  The story I’m about to tell you he declares in his book is true. and is one he saw with his own eyes.

First let me tell you a little about a Blackfeet war party.  There was a man who led the party and it was his responsibility to sleep and live (to some degree) apart from the others so he could pray for a vision that would tell him what lay ahead of the war party.  Old Bull was part of this war party –he was a “Bringer of Plenty” — a man who called the buffalo to a cliff and over it so the tribe would have enough food to get through the cold winters of Montana.  He had what the Indians called much medicine.

Schultz describes Old Bull as a man about forty winters (years) in age.  Here is what Schultz writes about Old Bull:

“…I liked Old Bull best [of the war party}; in fact, I revered him.  He was a man of about forty winters — tall and well muscled, with long hair, keen eyes, and a pleasant face; calm, dignified, and honest; moreover, he was a sacred pipe man, a medicine man, as the whites say.  Old Bull was possessor of the powerful Eagle Head pipe, master of its long ritual of sacred prayers and songs.”

Old Bull was a man whom the war party needed to have a vision so as to alert the war party as to what they might face and it if would be successful.  But, so far, he had not been able to have a vision.

Old Bull stated that oftentimes he had to go someplace alone so that his spiritual helper would come.  He had told Schultz that often his spiritual helper would come to others as Old Bull prayed to their God, the Creator.  His spiritual helper would then tell the others gathered there the answers to what Old Bull was asking.  And so, not having a vision to help the war party, Old Bull went into a hollow tree and there began to pray.

And, I will quote from the book:

Bear chief was praying — “He had no more than spoken these words when his body stiffened, his face becoming tense and his eye balls rolling upwards in his head.  He leaned back against the inside of the tree.  Bear Chief and I were standing close to the tree when this happened….  Before us a white shadow was forming starting up from the ground and spinning up like a whirlwind, building higher and higher until it reached the height of Bear Chief.  Then the fluorescent white cloud began taking a man’s shape, the ears, nose, mouth, eyes, and the rest of the face forming first, then the body, arms, and legs. The figure took on such details as moccasins, a full head dress to the ground, necklaces, and some face coloring.  As I stood there, it seemed as though I could look through the Heavenly Visitor as one would look through a light colored window pane.

“The Visitor spoke in Blackfeet.  ‘Bear Chief, I am your helper.  I have been helping you all your life.  I have helped you in battles, I guide you and give you good thought.  My name is Gray Eagle.

“‘There is trouble for you ahead.  How much trouble will depend on how careful you are in your movements.  Do not travel this night.  You all will go to the Sand Hills someday, but those who are needed here now will stay for a while; those who are needed over there to help do the work of the Above Ones will go earlier.  Bear Chief, you will be rewarded.’  and with that the almost transparent visitor vanished into the sky in a streak of light.

“As Old Bull awakened from his trance, I asked him if he remembered anything that had gone on.  Said he, ‘I remember only that I slept.  What happened?’ I told him about the ghostly visitor and of his message.

“Old Bull continued, “Ever since I was a young man, there have been times over which I have had little control, when I have been seized by the Above Ones and when, as afterward related to me by my friends, Spirit people have built up and have been seen and heard by all present.  I would much rather have a vision, where I get the message direct, but when day after day has passed and I have received no message, often if I pray in an enclosure, as I did here, I am seized, and Spirit people come forth.”

The war party went on to be successful in regaining the war shirt.  Interestingly, Schultz writes, “After passing through several hands [the war shirt], the shirt came to the collection of Indian Americana at the Denver Art Museum.  No myth, this famed Indian relic is now on display for visitors to marvel at for its color, design, and decoration.”

Well, I hope you enjoyed this story.

Now onto other news:  My latest release, SHE BELONGS IN MY WORLD, is on sale starting today for $.99.  Don’t miss this chance.  Pick up your copy today.

Also, I will be giving away a mass market paperback of the book, Soaring Eagle’s Embrace, to one lucky blogger.  So come on in and leave your thoughts on this blog.  I love hearing from you.

SHE BELONGS IN MY WORLD:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBPKBXBZ?tag=pettpist-20

 

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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.

40 thoughts on “Old Bull’s Heavenly Visitor & Give-away”

  4. Good morning Karen! I enjoyed this story! Reminds me of Guardian Angels amount us. Fascinating how spiritual the Indians are. Thank you for your books and articles. And especially your research of these interesting native people.

    Best wishes to you Karen!

    • Hi Tracy!

      How wonderful to hear from you today! Thank you for your kind reply and wonderful observations. As you might already know,I love this research.

    • Hi Danielle,
      It’s interesting that I thought I’d answered this earlier today, but perhaps I only thought I had. Well, this was a special shirt. Let me quote from the book and maybe it will help to give an idea as to why it was important to recapture this war shirt. The war shirt had many holes in it and here is what Bear Chief told Schultz when he inquired about it:
      “My friend, my war shirt is just as my powerful vision helper told me to make it. He strongly said that I must make the many holes in it, for they would prevent enemy bullets or enemy arrows or enemy knives doing so. Well, my friend,I have worn that shirt in seven fights with our enemies, and not once have I been even slightly wounded.”

      So, this is why it was important to get the shirt back. And in doing so we, the readers are treated to quite an adventure story.

    • Hi Debra!

      Yes, the entire book is like this — filled with all kinds of facts about Indian Country at this time. The name of the book is BEAR CHIEF’S WAR SHIRT — not sure it’s at Amazon. My husband and I both love Shultz’s stories and he found it recently, but I’ve not seen it at AMAZON. I will ask him where he got it. Already, the story has given me so many ideas — it talks about taming the Wild Horse — about the standoff of a grizzly bear — and about a man who loved horses so much, he made his living training them for the buffalo hunt. Great, great book!

  11. Hi Ms Kay,
    It is already turning into fall right here in Washington State and it is cold but the colors are turning so beautifully that I want to curl up and read a book while the spooky season is bringing nothing but delightfully spooky stuff.

    I love and enjoyed reading this post about Old Bull and the history of Schultz’s experience with the Blackfeet tribe. I have always been respectfully fascinated by Indigenous history because I have always known that the history of Indigenous Peoples have not always been humane. Mainly a lot of stories set in the past and now currently in the present have been filled with anger rightfully so at the treatment of Indigenous peoples and their communities, Specifically with missing Indigenous women in the United States that make up for more than the average missing person and it is so sad in my opinion that the government is corrupt that they don’t care at all and that they will only act if it was a white person and that to me says what history mainly people who have lived on these ancient lands far longer before the Europeans/Spanish have known and always knew that the true history of Indigenous and the history of other Indigenous Peoples from all over the world will not be silenced. I applaud their courage, bravery and spirits to keep fighting for their peoples both living and in the spirit world.

    I would like to be part of the giveaway because I have read books by Indigenous authors these past few years and I sadly never own a copy of a book by any of them because again prices are going up and I love to read books by these incredible peoples who are still fighting to be seen and heard and we need to listen. I love your stories and will continue to support you and your incredible gift of bring such valid representation of communities of peoples who are again have been fighting and still are. I sincerely hope you have an amazing day. Sincerely, Ashley Macias

    • Hi Ashley,
      I really love your post. Thank you for kindly putting your thoughts here on this blog. It reminded me that one of the reasons why I write these Indian romances it to kind of “set the record straight.” If one goes back far enough into the history of this country, one finds the conflicts between the American Indians and the new people to this continent, one finds savagery but mostly one committed by the opposite side…from the newcomers. One finds the genocide of a people in the California area, where the American Indians were made into slaves. (those who were left) It finds valiant men who tried to defend their homeland against these invaders in Mexico, California, Oregon and other parts of North America. It finds deceit and treachery and promises made by the newcomer, never to be thought of in any way to be kept — while the American Indian considered it evil to break a promise.

      I say the above because when literature began to be written, it needed a villain and many made the American Indian out to be that. And, in some cases, it was true, especially for those people on the trail who didn’t know they were violating one treaty after another that the gov’t had made with the Indians. Those men who made those treaties weren’t there, but the people on traveling over their land were in many instances, thought of as “fair pickens,” because the Indian believed those travelers knew they were going where they were not supposed to go…by Treaty. The Indian fought in the only way he could at this time to retain his culture and his homeland. But, rarely were the traits of these honest, truthful, God-fearing people given the stage. Instead, the movies and literature of the time tried to make them out to be less than human…perhaps a justification for the wrongs done to these people, who, right or wrong were doing what many of us all do when we are betrayed.

      Someday I hope man as a species will grow up and realize we are all one race that happens to come in different colors. We are human beings with humanity as part of our make up as a species. Instead we see men and women acting worse than children at play. Indeed, I believe it is time for man to grow up and face the world as our Creator meant us to face it.

      Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.

  12. I’ve always been fascinated by American Indian stories. This one is no exception. I have family members that can “talk to ghosts” as well as see them. I know this isn’t the same but kind of close. I also have family members that have “seen” future events or felt that they were needed somewhere. So with these in mind, the closest thing I can come up with as a child were Indian stories.

    • Hi Carrie!
      What a fascinating family. It must have been fascinating growing up in your family. In truth, I must admit to seeing ghosts, but not very often. I even think I had an encounter with a Bigfoot several years ago, though I never saw it — and only later, after learning more about Bigfoot, did I realize what had happened might have been the result of a young Bigfoot. I do believe there is more to our world than we have been taught, which is what makes learning history from those who lived it so exciting. Thank you very much for your post.

  13. I love this story from Schultz’s real and true book of tales from living with and actually becoming a White Blackfeet Indian! I’ve read it before, but I can’t remember when! Being part Indian on my maternal and paternal sides tends to cause me to be drawn to all of the histories and stories of the First People. My paternal Grandmama said she was a Blackfeet, but others on that side say Cherokee, too, and my Mama’s side was Cherokee. Her grandmother was preparing to go to college to become a DOCTOR when she met my great grandfather, also preparing to become a Doctor. He was disowned by his family for marrying a full blood Cherokee woman. Usually, the Indian woman was disowned by her family, but not so, in this case. While both were very intelligent, they did not pursue their medical careers after their babies started coming. She bore him 13 children before she died. It’s a pretty sad story. I love your books, Kay, and you!! ????????

    • Hi Lana!

      Gosh, it’s wonderful to hear from you. I’ve been meaning to drop you a line and then time goes by… What a story about your great grandmother and great grandfaather. It reminds me a little of the book I’m currently writing, which I call my Romeo and Juliet story in that both families do not wish these two to become married.

      She bore him 13 children. Wow! I had 2 children. Not sure I can imagine what life would have been like with 13. Never a dull moment, I think. : )

      Thank you so much for coming here today and posting. I love you, too, a lot!

  15. Thank you for taking the time and effort to share this today!!!! I’m grateful for all of the things you share with us!!!

    • Oh, my gosh, Ilene, how wonderful it is to hear from you! I’ve been wondering how you’re doing. Thank you for your kind and gracious words. Really uplifts my heart!

  16. Such an interesting story. I love hearing first hand accounts from historical figures. It really makes history come alive.

    • Hi Kim!

      Gosh, I second you on your love of hearing or reading real historical accounts from the people who lived them. And, yet, it does make history come alive. Thanks for your post!

  17. I love your books. Not only are the stories very interesting but I always learn something about Indian history

    • Hi Rhonda!

      What a beautiful and kind thing to say. Gosh, you’ve made my day. It’s nice when those hours of reading historical accounts are appreciated. Thank you, Rhonda. It’s great to see you post here on the blog.

  18. Sounds like an interesting story. I have been reading and loving your books for years. Thanks for all of your great stories.

    • Hi Anita!
      Yes, it was quite interesting and it has given me ideas for many different scenes in a few of my most recent books. Thanks so much for coming here and leaving your post. And thank you for being a reader of my books. You are important to me.

  20. Hi Karen, Thank you for sharing about this story, I love it! I love reading everything you share with us. I love your books. Have a great rest of the week.

  24. Hi Kay,

    Just a short note this time, my head is splitting. I read everything and I loved it! I’ve read Willard’s books too, they are definitely very interesting.
    As you know I love books about the Indians.

    Wishing you every success in your writing and every book you wrote and will yet write. Bless you always.

    Love, Starr

  25. Hi Starr!

    Wow! Thank you so much for coming to the blog. I sincerely hope your head is no longer splitting. Gosh! Thanks for all your well wishes and for all you do.

    Love,
    Kay

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