Chief Thunderwater - by Gerald F Reid (Paperback)

About the Book

Self-promoter, political activist, entrepreneur: Reid's critical study reveals Thunderwater in all his contradictions and complexity--a complicated man whose story expands our understanding of Native life in the early modern era, and whose movement represents a key moment in the development of modern Haudenosaunee nationalism.

Book Synopsis

On June 11, 1950, the Cleveland Plain Dealer published an obituary under the bold headline "Chief Thunderwater, Famous in Cleveland 50 Years, Dies." And there, it seems, the consensus on Thunderwater ends. Was he, as many say, a con artist and an imposter posing as an Indian who lead a political movement that was a cruel hoax? Or was he a Native activist who worked tirelessly and successfully to promote Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, sovereignty in Canada? The truth about this enigmatic figure, so long obscured by vying historical narratives, emerges clearly in Gerald F. Reid's biography, Chief Thunderwater--the first full portrait of a central character in twentieth-century Iroquois history.

Searching out Thunderwater's true identity, Reid documents Thunderwater's life from his birth in 1865, as Oghema Niagara, through his turns as a performer of Indian identity and, alternately, as a dedicated advocate of Indian rights. After nearly a decade as an entertainer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, Thunderwater became progressively more engaged in Haudenosaunee political affairs--first in New York and then in Quebec and Ontario. As Reid shows, Thunderwater's advocacy for Haudenosaunee sovereignty sparked alarm within Canada's Department of Indian Affairs, which moved forcefully to discredit Thunderwater and dismantle his movement.

Self-promoter, political activist, entrepreneur: Reid's critical study reveals Thunderwater in all his contradictions and complexity--a complicated man whose story expands our understanding of Native life in the early modern era, and whose movement represents a key moment in the development of modern Haudenosaunee nationalism.

Review Quotes

"In this brief volume, Reid ably sketches the man he refers to as "an enigma and an anomaly," and in so doing contributes to a complex picture of Indigenous life in late nineteenth- and early twentieth century North America. Like other recently profiled Native figures, such as John Wompas and Eleazer Williams, Thunderwater's choices were both self-interested and community-minded, reiterating and confounding popular stereotypes. Scholars invested in those dynamics, as well as those interested in the understudied topic of Indigenous politics in the early twentieth century, will find this a provocative and illuminating study."--American Historical Review


"Reid has produced an exceptionally well-researched biography of a somewhat controversial but also largely ignored Indigenous advocate for tribal self-determination in early twentieth-century United States and Canada. Long derided as a fraud and consigned to the fringes of history as a result, Thunderwater's reputation is now at least partially restored--personal controver­sies notwithstanding--as a result of Reid's fair, compelling, and exception­ally well-researched biography."--Native American and Indigenous Studies Journal


"Reid's book sheds important new light on an understudied chapter of Haudenosaunee history. He credits Thunderwater for playing a key role in revitalizing the nascent Haudenosaunee nationalism of the late nineteenth century in Canada and identifies his movement as providing a vital bridge between that prior era and the subsequent versions of twentieth-century activism supporting Haudenosaunee sovereignty...this book is highly recommended as an accessible, compelling account of a fascinating individual's life."-- American Indian Culture and Research Journal

"In this fascinating detective-like story, Gerald F. Reid shows that Thunderwater was of American Indian ancestry, that he was an early leader in the Indian community in Cleveland, that he represented the interests of Seneca chiefs and clan mothers, and that he had leadership qualities respected by Indigenous peoples in the United States and Canada. Chief Thunderwater is an excellent study."--Laurence M. Hauptman, author of Coming Full Circle: The Seneca Nation of Indians, 1848-1934