In the 1930s, a German immigrant woman found historic documents and photographs relating to her Modoc Indian husband’s tribe and the 1873 Modoc War, the most expensive Indian war ever fought, pitting a handful of Native Americans against the U. S. Army. Decades later, her daughter Cheewa James, a direct Modoc descendant, inherited these documents.

For 12 years, Cheewa dug through the mysteries. What caused the war? Why did Modocs die like flies as prisoners of war in Oklahoma? Why were families split apart? Cheewa will share the answers to these questions with your audience just as she does in her new book, Modoc: The Tribe That Wouldn’t Die (Naturegraph, 2008).

A motivational keynote speaker and television talent, Cheewa is a guarantee
for in-depth answers, lively comments, and a quick wit.

She talks about:

• Parallels between the California/Oregon Modoc War and today’s Iraq War.

• Why history repeats itself and how to avoid repeating mistakes.

• Native American women in the early West.

• Four ways to teach your child to survive and enjoy living in a diverse society.

• Five things you can do to recover your family history and why you should.

“It is time to unite Modocs— erase the forced split resulting from those terrible days. It is time for cousins to meet cousins and kin to understand what happened over a century ago.”—Cheewa James

CREDENTIALS: Cheewa has published in Smithsonian, National Wildlife, Chicago Tribune and Kansas City Star. Her book, Catch the Whisper of the Wind, is from Chicken Soup for the Soul publishers. A former television broadcaster, Cheewa received seven UPI awards and the National Golden Mike Award. She is currently a Sacramento PBS on-air talent.

AVAILABILITY: Sacramento, CA, author tour in New York City (first week of August); and via telephone
CONTACT: Cheewa James, (916) 361-2500 (CA); cheewa@cheewa.com; www.cheewa.com/