Ann Strange Owl: A Northern Cheyenne Memoir

by Ann Strange Owl, Sharon L. Arms

"My name is Annie Grace Strange Owl. My Cheyenne name is Måxaáéhma’héone, or Medicine Eagle Feather Woman. I was born in Birney Village, Montana, on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. These are my memories." In this chronicle, Ann Strange Owl and Sharon Arms take a journey back in time to the Depression-era world of Ann's birthplace, Birney Village, Montana. Part of only the second generation to be born on the Northern Cheyenne Indian reservation, Ann recounts vivid stories of growing up in a one-room cabin with a family of thirteen, and pays homage to the vivid lives of the ancestors who preceded her. She traces the long, winding path that took her from the reservation to the city, and finally to Eagle Plume's, a world-renowned trading post high in the Colorado Rockies. Turn these pages and imagine Ann's soft, lightly accented voice sharing the adventures of her life with you. It is a life well lived and a cultural odyssey into a unique version of the American West.

Paperback

Published November 3, 2017

Reviews

[Marissa Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. Such simple, powerful writing. I cried at the end. Montana’s history is so rich & turbulent & controversial. Its people are so resilient & proud & tough. I wanna meet Ann Strange Owl!!!! & chat!!!!!! I wonder if she knows about the fig tree analogy. She would get it more than most I think. Ok that’s all this was awesome for me