This novel would not have been possible without the unwavering encouragement offered by the following people in my “word-collecting” endeavor: my parents, Leonard and Chloe Young Bear; Stella Lasley Young Bear, my wife; and the many supportive family members of the Meskwaki, People of the Red Earth, Nation of Central Iowa.
The same adulation goes to my editor, Anton Mueller, at Grove Press; Peter Basch, literary agent; and to the vast support I received from the beginning of my career to the present, via Bill Beyer, Wesley Abbott, Robert Bly, John Strong, Robert Gish, Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, and Leslie Silko.
I also give my deepest thanks to those cherished influences who have gone West to the Meskwaki Hereafter: Jack and Ada Old Bear; Todd Dana Young Bear; Irene Young Bear Bernadino; Kenneth Young Bear; and Curtis Young Bear. Their warm, smiling spirits have recently surfaced in my thoughts, making it seem like they never really left, helping me and everyone still.
Lastly, and the Creator knows this, I respectfully acknowledge my great-great-grandfather, Ma mi nwa ni ke, the Sacred Chieftain who initiated the purchase of our tribal land in 1856. His monumental accomplishments remain unparalleled. Without him, the Meskwaki Settlement would not be in existence.