Spencer Lone Tree: Novelist and Member of the Peyote Church Talks About His Books

Spencer Lone Tree, of the Ho-Chunk tribe, formerly Winnebago, who resides in Postville, Iowa, discussed his historical fictional books with the public, Saturday, March 1, at the Monona Museum, Iowa.

Lone Tree believes that he is the only one from his tribe in the immediate area. He is an enrolled tribal member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. His two books, Night Sun and The Seven Directions, and Night Sun and the Journey to Two Fires, he describes as the first and second of a planned five-part series with each volume describing all five forced removals of his people in the mid-1800s throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska.

"They are historical fiction stories based on actual events as seen through the eyes of the main character, Night Sun, a young Shaman with mystical powers. It is through his experiences the reader will gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of his culture and the pathos of his people. They will discover the red man (aboriginal American) has a heart, a soul, emotions and tears as do all members of the human family," he expressed.

Lone Tree's goal, he claims, has a dual purpose. He wants to educate non-aboriginals about the first Americans and Night Sun is the vehicle by which he hopes will gain respect for the least understood of all United States citizens.

"In short, I hope Night Sun will not only entertain the reader but enlighten those people of the common humanity that we all share, species among species," he said.

More importantly his attempt is to present a more complete account and history of the Ho-Chunk journey and how they were repeatedly uprooted and how that impacted them.

Lone Tree purports that his books could be perhaps a catalyst for bridging what he calls, "the chasm of ignorance and misunderstandings." He feels it is time for American educational institutions to offer more than the Anglo-European version of the settling of America and the attempted acculturation of its aboriginal peoples.