If Lewis and Clark returned to Montana today, they would find the landscape reassuringly familiar. The same would hold true for past generations of Kootenai, Salish, Crow, Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, and Blackfeet. Anthropologist Sally Thompson will present some of these and other people’s untold tales at Elk River Books on Thursday, Nov. 7, when she discusses her new book, Disturbing the Sleeping Buffalo: 23 Unexpected Stories that Awaken Montana’s Past.
In Disturbing the Sleeping Buffalo, Thompson unearths new information and startling insights into Montana’s untold history. Along the way, she shares the challenges of groundbreaking research and the joys of finding hidden treasures. These stories connect past and present, bringing into focus a common heritage among many peoples in an uncommon land.
“Thompson’s dramatic stories show us a Montana too few know,” writes Ken Egan, Jr., author of Montana 1864 and Montana 1889. “These tales reverse perspective on regional history by respectfully sharing Native American accounts. … This is a must-have book for anyone interested in Montana and Western American history.”
Blackfeet elder and member of the Brave Dog Society Leon Rattler notes, “These stories are planting seeds from which people will benefit. They bring a sense of belonging, wholeness, and connection for greater insight into the emotional history we carry.”
Thompson’s long career in the Rocky Mountains and American Southwest has spanned more than four decades. She received her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado in 1980, the same year she moved to Missoula. She has worked as an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, filmmaker, and tribal consultant and collaborator. She has published a monograph and numerous articles in professional journals. Her 2015 book, People Before the Park, was a collaboration with the Kootenai Culture Committee and the Pikunni Traditionalist Association of the Blackfeet Tribe.
Elk River Books is located at 122 S. 2nd St. in downtown Livingston. The free event begins at 7 p.m., and a book signing and reception will follow.
