Book Blurb:
Niglíču was there. She saw it all. And survived it. Traumatized. It was called the incident that ended the Indian wars in the United States. Wounded Knee. December 29, 1890. But the story does not end with the devastation because two men couldn't bear to see a young girl torn by it. Two old men. A warrior grandfather and a Jesuit priest. Two old men who couldn't be more different. Two old men Niglíču loved.
This is their story. A story of hope and reconciliation. A story of the power of a young girl's love.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/QsJg
Author Bio:
In a world marked by division, it is my privilege to present a story of people of different cultures who, once divided by tragedy, are now united by first, understanding, then, forgiveness and finally by love. And who is better to illustrate how that can be achieved than a child, vulnerable and yet so powerful?
As a former elementary school teacher, I know how uniting behind the best interests of children
transforms lives. In my novel, Niglíču, you will see this. Though the setting is well over a hundred years ago, the message is timeless. We are more alike than different and we are called by God to love each other.
Raised on a small island in the Bronx, I am an unlikely person to tell a story of the Lakȟóta people but, strangely, I was drawn to study the language of a people whose words had been taken away. What a tragedy to lose words! What a tragedy to lose stories that could have…should have…been told!
You will see many Lakȟóta words in this novel and that is thanks to my co-author, a man dedicated to preserving the language of the indigenous people. Niglíču is a fictionalized story rooted in history that he wanted to tell. I helped to put it into words.
In my so called retirement, I strive to be a storyteller. Stories can tell truths in a way people can relate to.
You will see this for tweens in my novel, The Balance of Wings. You will see this in my historical fiction novel, O’Toole. And hopefully for many stories to come.
Educated at Stanford, Yale and National Taiwan University, Oscar Wybrant
is now retired from a colorful career as Air Force linguist, government liaison
and world traveling engineering consultant. Residing in California with his wife,
he finds peace in his garden with his birds and squirrels but continues his
education with a passion for history and the preservation of our great American
heritage.
Raised in dust bowl Colorado, his early life drove his obsession with the culture
of indigenous peoples. Later he used his linguistic skills to become an early
member of the Lakota Language Consortium, with the goal of learning and then
passing on the language to the people with whom the language originated.
Inspired at the graveside of Ziŋtkála Núni on Wounded Knee hill, Wybrant’s
story of a fictionalized survivor, Niglíču, was born and later developed into this
novel of struggle, adaptation and triumph set in the years following the massacre.
Editorial Review:
His McClellan saddle always squeaked, and especially so in cold weather. It irritated Major Samuel Whitside. He stood up in the oiled wooden stirrups and waved a gauntlet gloved hand to call a temporary halt to the caravan. The wind flipped up the cape of his royal blue greatcoat and the exposed gold caught the attention of his officers and men. They had just crossed the narrow bridge, passing Louis Mosseau’s store and the post office. He knew his troops, weary of field rations, would have enjoyed going inside, but he would not let them. Methodically fingering the fob of his open watch, he noted it was getting late. Obsessive about time and discipline, he knew there was a lot to be done before sunset.
Thirty-two years of sterling service had earned him the respect of his men. His piercing eyes and dashingly bushy moustache enhanced his stern expression and embodied him with undeniable dignity. He was not a man to be crossed. Whitside scanned the ranks of his officers and nodded towards Lt. Harry Hawthorne. Expecting yet another interrogation from his superior so obsessed with duty, the lieutenant rolled his eyes towards his companion, Captain Wallace. “Here we go again,” Hawthorne sighed, urging his dark bay warhorse forward into a quick trot.
Part One of this story begins in 1890. We are introduced to the arrival at Wounded Knee Creek. It cuts right to the chase of this battle, with the military leaders planning their attack on the natives. They plan to use the fire power and intimidation of their guns to get them to surrender.
We are then quickly taken to the other side, introduced to Brings Fire. The storytelling is poetic, as we learn of her age by the fact that her tooth is wiggly – her first loose tooth. Her mother had told her another will grow in its place. But “when adults lose things they don’t always get them back” she muses, thinking of her grandfather who didn’t get his tooth back when it fell out the second time.
Through her eyes, we learn more about her grandfather, Grasshopper. Once a warrior, he now led his people in a caravan of wagons. We learn the year of his birth, more of his ancestry, and a teaser of the hardship the tribe has been facing.
Sprinkled with Indigenous words and language, the book is a richly woven tapestry of two very different worlds – both of which were colliding in this time. And it handles the very sensitive topics with the care and respect they deserve. From tragedy springs hope, and this story is a reminder of that.
Líla eháŋni k’uŋ héhaŋ.
It was very long ago.
The caravan came to a halt, and Grasshopper looked over the intended encampment as though he were planning a battle. He could not help but think he was prey to something much bigger than himself. Both seasoned warrior and effective hunter, he could analyze from both angles. He focused on the terrain, thinking he would put his warriors here if they were to be the aggressors, and there, if they would need to flee. He put both his wagon and the one following at the intersection of the Agency Road and the dry ravine.
It was a risky decision, he knew. In the event of a fight, a high concentration of bullets would fly through the area. But the intersection offered the shortest route to the relative safety of the ravine, where they would find brush and shallow caves. Grasshopper shuddered. His band was far outnumbered in men, weapons, and ammunition. And he suspected that the feared Hotchkiss cannon would soon menace his people from that high hill.
Yes, he thought, this would be the best place. Not a good place, as the chance of surviving was poor, but surely it is better than running through open fields.
My family must be first. Swallowing hard, he maneuvered his wagon to be clearly in front. Should they need to escape this way, they’d pass the spot of the secret only he and the wanáǧi spirits knew. Lost in a long-ago moment, he placed one hand over the pouch on his chest and absentmindedly stroked it with his other. Long ago, but like yesterday, he thought, feeling the jump of his heart at the same time.
This fictional story explores the world of the two sides at the Battle of Wounded Knee. It’s often painful, heart-wrenching, and sad. But there’s also a message of hope, and love, and the power of human spirit. The book is well written, seamless editing and flow so that you wouldn’t know it was co-authored. It’s a book you will keep thinking about long after you put it down. The satisfying ending brings it all full-circle.
In a world marked by division, the authors give us a story of people of different cultures, once divided by tragedy, who find their way together through understanding, forgiveness, and love. Niglíču is a fictionalized story rooted in history, the two authors working together to bring this beautiful story to light. A lost language of the Lakȟóta people kept alive through the pages of the book, as well.
Although the setting is over 100 years ago, the message is timeless: we are more alike than different, and we are called to love one another.
Inspired at the graveside of Ziŋtkála Núni on Wounded Knee hill, Wybrant and D'Angelo’s story of a fictionalized survivor, Niglíču, was born and later developed into this novel of struggle, adaptation and triumph set in the years following the massacre.
*****
“ Niglíču” by Florence D'Angelo and Paul Oscar Wybrant receives five stars and the “Highly Recommended” award of excellence from The Historical Fiction Company
Award:
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