Crazy Wolf: A Half-Breed Story

by John Spence

Overview

This is a story of resilience and healing in Indian Country.
John Spence, (Gros Ventre/Sioux), MSW, PhD, grew up without parents amid the poverty and racism confronting Indian families on and near the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana and in a low-income housing project in Seattle.
Growing up as a parentless, half-breed Indian kid during the 1940s and 50s, he recounts how some older relatives and adult mentors influenced him in a positive direction. This led him to attend college in the 1960s when few American Indians were involved in higher education. He taught for 20 years in the School of Social Work at Portland State University and has now worked for over 50 years as a counselor, teacher, and community organizer.
Since 2009, John has helped provide therapeutic horsemanship workshops for hundreds of tribal youth in Oregon. He also describes how he became an ocean lifeguard, US Marine, rugby player, rodeo rider, and triathlete.
Throughout this story he describes how his relationships within the reservation and urban Indian communities contributed to his 38 years of sobriety and his activism within the greater healing movement in contemporary Indian Country.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940164826024
Publisher:	Kyla Merwin
Publication date:	03/14/2021
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Originally from Fort Belknap, Montana, Dr. John Spence now lives in Beaverton, Oregon near his kids, Erik and Joy, and their families. He shares a small house near the city library with his roommate, Angie, two dogs and two chickens.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: How Do We Forgive Our Fathers

Chapter 2: Nobody Loves A Drunken Indian

Chapter 3: My Old School

Chapter 4: An Indian in College

Chapter 5: Kahuna and Moondoggie

Chapter 6: Part-time Jarhead

Chapter 7: Client, Caseworker, and Grad Student

Chapter 8: Rugby is Life

Chapter 9: Part I: The 1970s - Indian Activism, Guerilla Social Work, and Indian Poets

Chapter 10: Part II: The 1970s - Indian Rodeo, Indian Basketball, Teepee Creeping, and a Doctoral Program

Chapter 11: Going Home, Getting Sober, and Triathlon

Chapter 12: Chemawa, Grand Ronde, and BJ

Chapter 13: Standing Rock and other Battles

Chapter 14: Recovery and Healing in Indian Country

Chapter 15: Healing with Horses

Chapter 16: Many Paths to Follow

Editorial Reviews

An intriguing life story about pain, joy and discovery leading to numerous accomplishments. As a half breed myself I felt absorbed by John's story relating to his journey. Over the years my tribe has requested his assistance with several grant writing projects and help with horse therapy workshops at our summer youth culture camps. ~Caroline Cruz (Warm Springs), General Manager, Health and Human Services, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon

What a pleasure to read this honest and heartfelt account of a life well lived despite adverse conditions. John is a humble man whose accomplishments, influence, and exploits actually exceed his telling. It's a rare quality for an Indian storyteller to tell an engaging and compelling story without embellishing. This work honors his friends, family, and colleagues with recognition and gratitude. He tells the truth and makes us smile. The reach of his influence goes far and wide in Indian Country. I know, because, as one of his students, I would never have been able to walk my path without his encouragement. ~Terry L Cross, (Seneca Nation), DHL (hon), MSW, ACSW, LCSW, Founder and Senior Advisor, National Indian Child Welfare Association

alcoholic situations. In his autobiography he is thoughtful for folks who came into his life, especially BJ and his healer Koda, and his many friends made while he lived life. Through his athletic ability and kinship with others, he developed into a kind and thoughtful man yet this value was always there, just beneath the skin. It's truly difficult to understand what a half breed Indian who has been disenfranchised early on in life can eventually be whole and feel free to be who he is. ~Patrick Weasel Head (Blackfeet), PhD, former Missoula City Councilman and Vietnam Veteran

From the Publisher