Modoc

"Once I started this incomparable story, I couldn't put it down, and I cannot get it out of my mind—nor will I ever. The message of what can be accomplished by training through affection and joy will thrill all animal lovers." —Betty White A captivating true story of loyalty, friendship, and high adventure that spans several decades and three continents, Modoc is one of the most remarkable true stories ever told, perfect for fans of The Zookeeper's Wife or Water for Elephants. Raised together in a small German circus town, a boy and an elephant formed a bond that would last their entire lives, and would be tested time and again: through a near-fatal shipwreck in the Indian Ocean, an apprenticeship with the legendary Mahout elephant trainers in the Indian teak forests, and their eventual rise to circus stardom in 1940s New York City. As the African Sun-Times put it, Modoc is "heartwarming. . . probably the greatest love story ever told."

Describes the culture, government, arts, and religion of the Modoc people of California and Oregon.

Jefferson C. Davis Riddle (1863-1941) was the son of Frank Riddle and his Modoc wife, Tobey, both of whom played prominent roles in the Modoc War of 1873. Only ten years old at the time and known by his Modoc name, the young "Charka" experienced the northern California conflict firsthand. After the war his parents, who had supported the Modoc peace faction, renamed their son for the Regular army colonel who helped end the hostilities. Written "to give both sides of the troubles of the Modoc Indians and the whites," The Indian History of the Modoc War vividly recounts this episode of Western history. It remains one of the most important books on the Indian Wars. Book jacket.

Easy-to-read text and colorful illustrations and photos teach readers about Modoc history, traditions, and modern life. This book describes society and family structure, hunting, fishing, and gathering methods, and ceremonies and rituals. Readers will learn about Modoc homes, clothing, and crafts such as basketry. A traditional myth is included, as is a description of famous Modoc leader Kintpuash. Wars, weapons, and contact with Europeans are discussed. Topics including European influence, the formation of reservations, and federal recognition are also addressed. In addition, modern Modoc culture and still-celebrated traditions are described. Modoc homelands are illustrated with a detailed map of the United States. Bold glossary terms and an index accompany engaging text. This book is written and illustrated by Native Americans, providing authentic perspectives of the Modoc.

On a cold, rainy dawn in late November 1872, Lieutenant Frazier Boutelle and a Modoc Indian nicknamed Scarface Charley leveled firearms at each other. Their duel triggered a war that capped a decades-long genocidal attack that was emblematic of the United States’ conquest of Native America’s peoples and lands. Robert Aquinas McNally tells the wrenching story of the Modoc War of 1872–73, one of the nation’s costliest campaigns against North American Indigenous peoples, in which the army placed nearly one thousand soldiers in the field against some fifty-five Modoc fighters. Although little known today, the Modoc War dominated national headlines for an entire year. Fought in south-central Oregon and northeastern California, the war settled into a siege in the desolate Lava Beds and climaxed the decades-long effort to dispossess and destroy the Modocs. The war did not end with the last shot fired, however. For the first and only time in U.S. history, Native fighters were tried and hanged for war crimes. The surviving Modocs were packed into cattle cars and shipped from Fort Klamath to the corrupt, disease-ridden Quapaw reservation in Oklahoma, where they found peace even more lethal than war. The Modoc War tells the forgotten story of a violent and bloody Gilded Age campaign at a time when the federal government boasted officially of a “peace policy” toward Indigenous nations. This compelling history illuminates a dark corner in our country’s past.

The Modoc lived in what is now the border area of California and Oregon. When American settlers arrived in the area, they found between 600 and 800 Modoc people. What was life like for the Modoc people? What hardships did they face? Like many other American Indian groups, the Modoc were affected by the arrival of the Europeans. Many of them died from illnesses to which the Europeans were immune. The European presence would eventually become essential to the Modoc lifestyle. The information contained within this book provides readers with an all-encompassing perspective on the history of the Modoc and what their lives are like today.