When Thunders Spoke by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

First published: 1974; illustrated

Type of work: Social realism

Themes: Race and ethnicity, and coming-of-age

Time of work: The early 1970’s

Recommended Ages: 13-15

Locale: An Indian reservation in South Dakota

Principal Characters:

• Norman Two Bull, a fifteen-year-old Indian who becomes a man while torn between two cultures
• Sarah Two Bull, his mother, a Christian convert who wants to leave behind the “heathen” ways of her Indian past
• John Two Bull, his father, a hardworking man who is ambivalent about his Indian heritage yet defends it
• Matt Two Bull, his grandfather, one of the last of the old Indians, who not only remembers the old ways but also lives them as much as possible
• Mr. Brannon, the local storekeeper and trader, who buys agate rocks from Norman
• The Reverend Parks, a local minister who does not understand or appreciate Indian ideas

The Story

When Thunders Spoke is essentially the story of a person and family torn between two cultures. That the Indian way of life must die—indeed, is dead—is an assumption made by this story in several ways. The Two Bull family lives as Indians, but not the way Indians of previous generations did. Their language and culture have virtually disappeared. They know only a little of past rituals, beliefs, and language. Being an Indian means not being a white, yet it does not mean existence with much connection to history or heritage.

At the beginning of the story, young Norman Two Bull resolves to go to the western slopes of the Butte of Thunders, a nearly inaccessible place that is holy to the Sioux Indians. Ostensibly, he goes there to find pieces of agate to trade to Mr. Brannon at the local store; yet it is clear that his real reason for going is to reenact a traditional rite of passage for young boys becoming men. Norman successfully makes the trip, during which he finds an ancient “coup” stick that is buried at the Butte. (“Counting coup” was an ancient Indian tradition that required a young brave to touch an enemy of an opposing tribe with a sacred stick. Similar in some respects to modern war games, in which participants shoot pellets of dye rather than real bullets, it was sometimes used as a substitute for battle and was an important part of the rites of passage from boy to warrior.) Norman takes the stick home with him but immediately regrets having done so, because it causes an incredible argument between his parents: His father wants to hang the stick in their living room; the mother objects to the pagan relic.

Norman’s father prevails, and the family immediately experiences good luck: Norman is able to make a much better deal selling the agate rocks, and his father receives a promotion to foreman at his place of work. Simultaneously, each member of the household notices changes in the stick itself as the elements of deterioration begin to disappear.

A white tourist visits the Two Bulls with his family, attempting to buy agates without the local storekeeper, Mr. Brannon, serving as middleman. The tourist also tries to buy the coup stick, offering fifty dollars, then seventy. Sarah Two Bull is ready to accept the money, primarily because she truly wants the house rid of the object. John Two Bull is eager to sell it simply for the money and the help seventy dollars would give to the family budget. Norman declines the offer, however, determining that he will not sell the coup, which, to him, would be selling his heritage, his people, and himself. The parents abide by his decision. The white tourist leaves, whereupon John and Norman take the stick, once again showing its age, back to the base of the Butte of Thunders, where they rebury it near the creek.

Context

The context of When Thunders Spoke is defined by its setting and characters. Like all literature, the novel is encompassed by the boundaries of a certain cultural vantage, which is especially noticeable because of its contrast to that of the dominant society.

Lightning often hits the top of the Butte of Thunders, accounting for the mountain’s name and providing an explanation for the legend that claims that the gods are speaking in this holy place. Norman Two Bull travels here to discover the message from these lost gods. They give him no direct answer, and yet he is provided with the coup stick. Norman Two Bull experiences the pressures and anxieties of any young man, and finds meaning and direction in his life as a result of finding the relic. These are uniquely determined by the reservation, its geography and history, and by the closeness of his family and Indian society.

When Thunders Spoke is the product of a white society. The author, who spent her childhood on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, realizes the hopelessness of trying to keep up most of the old ways. Accordingly, she writes about those who struggle with the death of civilization while being assimilated, rather than integrated, into a new and different way of thinking and living. Norman Two Bull will not attend the white man’s college; he will not move to the white man’s city with its crime, traffic, and pollution; he will not seek to become a stockbroker. He will, however, live peacefully in his heart in ways that only an Indian can know and understand.