Northwest Historical Adventure, Indian slave, wolf ritual

Pacific Northwest Historical Adventure, Makah wolf culture, Indian slave

An Unforgettable Story About a White Indian Slave on

the Raw Washington Coast In 1801

In 1801 little is known about the wild Pacific Northwest Coast beyond difficult anchorages, hostile tribes, tales of vanished ships and violent storms. Some came for fur, others to claim land they feared to tread. When Wolf Comes is the story of a young man thrust upon this wild place by circumstance.

He was made a slave by his own people, then sold as a slave in a beautiful, savage land to a fierce tribe with strange spiritual ways; they revered wolf and were nourished by tooplah, the sea. Escape was impossible, survival only a dream. Friendship and love were the last things he expected.

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Pre-Publication Review Excerpts:

“The story seemed real and the humor on target . . .after several days I keep thinking about the story. It will always linger in my mind . . . I loved this book!” Vicky Druge, Makah Museum and Cultural Center

“John Pappas engages then immerses you into a North American culture shrouded in the fog of time . . . the only literary historical portrayal of the Makahs available . . .their reputation as the fiercest of hunters and bravest of the seagoing people is legendary . . . acquaint yourself with a young man enslaved by an unknown people in an unknown part of the world we now call Cape Flattery. An adventure awaits!” John Hagen, historian and consultant to several NW tribes

“Very interesting and good reading . . . a time I think it would have been wonderful to live in . . . a great glimpse into the way native people lived, loved and protected their land and people. Yvonne Wilkie, Makah CRC, Language and Culture Teacher

“Considerable research is evident throughout the book . . . Aidan and Squintanasis’ relationship is strong . . . provides a personal insight into daily Makah life . . . it’s great you could put together such an enjoyable story!” Helen Wilson, CowichanTribal Council, Vancouver Island, B.C.

Post-Pub Reader Reviews

K.J. Baker, Monroe, WA
Amazing new author found! I usually hesitate to read books from authors with whom I am not familiar and was very pleasantly surprised with John Pappas’s When Wolf Comes. I enjoy reading about Native American lifestyles but am not really excited about pure history. Though this novel is based on historical facts it is presented in such an engrossing tale that I couldn’t put it aside until I had completed reading the book. I had no idea that our local tribes had such a rich and complicated society. I really would like to read more about some of the neighboring tribes as well…plus this story must continue!

Robert E Brown, Russellville AR
I read When Wolf Comes, then I re-read the book. And the second time was better than the first. An extremely good story, a wealth of detail, and the sense that the author not only knows his subject, but loves the area. This is a really good book! Bravo, Mr. Pappas!

John Kenning, Bainbridge Island, WA June 20, 2009
John Pappas has written a superb novel. He has taken the pains to research in detail the life of Native Americans of the northwest coast. His descriptions in the story are so well done, you feel you are there experiencing the intricacies of native life. His description in the beginning of Aidan’s experiences aboard ship demonstrate Pappas’s encyclopedic command of all things nautical. Given the depth of research and the lyric ease of his writing style, you, as the reader, are right in the middle of all the adventure Aidan is thrust into. I would recommend this book to armchair historians of this period in northwest history, students who want to read what it was really like, and people like me who love a well written story with characters you really care about.

Terry Sheely, journalist/editor, The Reel News, Maple Valley, WA
Like Michener, Pappas skillfully uses his lead character to educate readers to the insights and foibles of a region and in this case, a people . . . we see, taste, feel and experience what life was like before . . . the story line weaves well throughout the book . . . spices his history with suspense and infuses cultural information so delicately I'm sometimes surprised to discover that I have learned . . . you'll find this book an intriquing and rewarding read.

Leslie McMillian, Alexandria, VA

I loved this book! It’s a great story filled with humor, love, friendship and respect. A very insightful look at the Makah culture. The look into the day to day life, the celebrations, and the way they did battle captures the imagination. I didn’t want the story to end and became so absorbed in the story it stayed with me for days after reading it.

Roberta Davis, Seattle, WA
A well researched and accurate account of Pacific Northwest Native traditions and rituals written in a way that allows the reader to be involved in the adventure. It was a fast-paced journey of discovery and interesting and surprising historical facts about the area where I live. Yet I must say the overriding enjoyment was I just loved the story.

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Check out Northwest Notes for more information

Some images used courtesy of Joe Wilson, www.islandart.com
To see more great Native art please visit their site.

To learn more about the Native Americans depicted in When Wolf Comes, please visit their site at www.makah.com

Author's note: Readers have told me When Wolf Comes reads like real history and events. Yes, nearly every major event in the story actually happened.

In 1915 the famous frontier photographer Ed Curtis made a dramatic film using Indians on the Pacific Northwest Coast, shot with a hand crank camera on Vancouver Island, and at Neah Bay, a Makah village at Cape Flattery. The original 16 mm film was in poor condition, but was converted “as is” to video tape in 1973. Certainly this represents the first “moving pictures” of Northwest Coast Native Americans in their near-original living mode, although by 1915 there were no longer Indian slaves. The tribes are Kwakiutl and Makah, the people depicted in depth in When Wolf Comes. I digitized this rare video tape a few years ago. The link below is less than 4 minutes, but gives a glimpse of what the Natives of the Pacific Northwest were like before the white man: A young Native secretly meets the girl he wishes to marry; ritual preparations for a wedding; Natives hurrying barefoot over sharp rocks; war canoes with masked performers; a groom drinking a massive amount of a clam juice mixture.

click here to play video

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More Reviews

Fred Delkin, Oregon Magazine
. . . an absorbing novel based upon actual events. The reader is projected into a web of tribal warfare, customs and a love affair involving a captured New Englander . . . We've read no better or absorbing tale of life in the Pacific Northwest before the white man.

Barbara McMichael, Bookmonger: Everett Herald, Kitsap Sun, Tacoma Tribune
. . . The story describes many interesting details about customs, social order, hunting and fishing methods, and more. Some may be daunted by the amount of Makah language used in the story, but it adds to the authenticity of the tale and gives readers a sense of the challenges Aidan must face. Aidan’s abilities and willingness to learn earn him increasing respect, and possibly love — his relationship with a young Chimakum slave is encouraged by Squintanasis. This is an absorbing adventure story about an indigenous culture that, although shaped by the very landscape in which we now live, seems remarkable and exotic to our 21st century sensibilities.

Michael Baum “photographer,” Key Peninsula, WA
What a great read! I couldn’t put it down. Now I want to explore the Northwest Olympic Peninsula even more and learn about the Makah and Hoh tribes. I want to walk the beaches. I never reads books twice but I’m anxious to read this one again. Thanks for giving my mind this adventure John Pappas. Don’t stop now. You have a great talent.

Sheila Riker, Port Orchard, WA
Outstanding! A tale of friendship and love in the most unlikely of circumstances. Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down. Whether you are interested in Native American culture or just looking for a truly enjoyable read this is IT!

Mari Meehan, “Northwest Coast art collector,” Coeur d’ Alene, ID
An intimate Glimpse of Makah Culture in the early 1800’s. The images conjured up by the Northwest Coast tribes is one of fierce people what with their dramatic masks, nose bones and complex ceremonies. This story takes you to the people beneath that image. It highlights their sense of community, as well as their recognition of the changes being brought by traders. It tells of how they treat their “slaves,” their capacity for compassion and their lack of tolerance for wrong doing.

The glimpse into what their life was like is well told by the young Bostonian who fell into their hands after what had already been a lifetime of adventure. It is a story of mutual admiration, love respect and friendship. It is also a story of the harsh realities of the times.

It was a fast, engrossing read. I should think both men and women will enjoy it and especially those who have an interest in or curiosity about the Northwest Coast Indian culture. I didn’t want it to end.

Richard Baker, Monroe, WA
Good story full of interesting history. I am an “action story” fan and When Wolf Comes had plenty to spare. I am also a fan of stories of the sea and of the early life in the area where I was born and raised. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading a good story and actually learning some relatively unknown history at the same time. I’ll look at the waters of the Puget Sound with a little more insight than before.

Tommy Taylor, Bedford, Texas
“A Truly Entertaining Novel”
When Wolf Comes, is a very good read. I truly enjoyed this tale about life of the Makah Indians and their white slave. A young man, Aidan Ephraim Martin, is hired by Captain Stark of the ship, New World. Sailing up the West coast north of what is now San Francisco, they are attacked in the middle of the night and Aidan is captured and sold from one tribe to another. We experience the day to day life of Makah Indians and their newest member. Author John Pappas weaves many interesting facts into believable characters, places and happenings. The book reads like historical/fiction since one feels that everything that happened in the story could have happened in real life. I wanted more when the book ended and heartily recommend When Wolf Comes to anyone who enjoys learning more about Native Americans on the west coast before the white man, or who just enjoys a good story.