An interview with the Headwoman of the Quinnipiac Tribe

Ruth Little Owl Thunderhorse of Milltown, Indiana is the Headwoman of the Quinnipiac tribe of the Algonquian Confederacy; it’s a title bestowed upon her by her husband, Iron Thunderhorse.

A Grand Sachem, Iron Thunderhorse is of the Algonquian Confederacy of the Quinnipiac Tribal Council. It’s a position which was bestowed upon him at birth. Ruth Thunderhorse elaborates, “His mother was a Quinnipiac and her great aunt was the last matriarch of the Quinnipiac people. She lived to be over 100 years old and she taught Iron when he was a child. His birth was foretold. (There were a lot of omens and other signs that let the people know he was special.) As he grew, they found out he had this incredible mind, a child prodigy. They started teaching him the arts, crafts and traditions of his people.”

The service Iron Thunderhorse provides to society is invaluable: “Native American tradition wasn’t written down on paper,” said Mrs. Thunderhorse. “It’s been handed down in different ways, some of it mnemonically. It’s been handed down so that the culture bearer of a tribe can see these things and it calls to mind the history and ancient stories. The culture bearer is chosen at an early age so that the history can be taught. This is how it is all handed down to the next generation, from one generation to the next, faithfully.” Indeed, without his contributions, much of the dialects and graphical systems of his peoples would be extinct.

“Iron Thunderhorse is the last speaker, the last person who has taught the language and he’s the last person who has been handed down the culture and tradition. He’s the culture bearer of the Quinnipiac nation.” To further that purpose, a website has been created to gather together those people who have been scattered across the country but still share a common heritage. The website also shows much of Iron Thunderhorse’s art and writings and can be viewed at www.acqtc.com.

The last of his kind, Iron Thunderhorse is the only Culture Bearer left to his people. It’s been a lifetime of study and discipline and responsibility…much of it done despite the fact that he is blind and has spent much of his life behind bars.

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a two part series on the life of Native American, Iron Thunderhorse. Part II will be published next week.