Your Email:

Your Name:

To:

Subject:

Your Email:

Your Name:

To:

Subject:

Message:
from Polson High School <a href="http://www.flatheadreservation.org/index.php/phs"> Michael L. Umphrey website</a> <h2 class="title">Wind from an Enemy Sky D'Arcy McNickle's novel of the Mission Valley</h2> By Michael L Umphrey <a href="http://christa.umphrey.googlepages.com/wind.from.an.enemy.sky">http://christa.umphrey.googlepages.com/wind.from.an.enemy.sky</a> Chapter 1 1. What are Bull and his grandson doing at the beginning of the book? What does this beginning lead you to believe this story may be about? 2. Where has the boy (Antoine) been and what was his experience like? 3. What does Bull do when he sees the Dam? How does his reaction affect Antoine? What insight does this give you into their relationship? 4. Compare what Bull believes his grandson is thinking at the dam with what Antoine was really thinking. What does this show about their relationship? 5. What detail about Bull do you remember most vividly from this chapter? Why does this stand out? What other person does he remind you of (if you had to pick someone)? What are the similarities? Chapter 2 6. How/ where did the government men want Bull to live? Why do you think they want this? 7. Find at least one detail about both Basil and Louis. Explain how the men are related to Antoine, in both the white and tribal relationship. 8. Who is Two Sleeps and where did he come from? 9. Who is the man who comes into the camp at night singing? Why has he come and how do the other men in the circle feel about him? 10. It has been 30 years since Bull and his brother have talked. Why? How has the land changed since the men’s earlier years when they got along? 11. What is Henry Jim’s plan and how does Bull feel about it? How would you feel in Bull’s position? Chapter 3 12. Compare Bull and Henry Jim. Which character is more interesting to you? Why? Which would you rather spend time with? 13. Who is Toby Rafferty and why has Henry Jim come to see him? 14. What are four of the things the “men from afar countries, from somewhere east of the mountains” tell the Indians to do? What effect did these things have on the Indian families? Chapter 4 15. How would you rate Toby Raferty’s effectiveness on the Little Elk Reservation? Explain. 16. How does the Indian tradition of the “midsummer dances” affect their farming? What would you do about this dilemma if you worked for the BIA? 17. Who is Edwards and what kind of person is he? 18. What is Rafertys opinion of the training Washington DC gives the people they send to work with the Indians? 19. Compare Raferty’s description of Henry Jim with the earlier description about him from the book? What is similar? Different? What do you think accounts for the variance? Chapter 5 20. How are Pock Face and Theobold described? After being introduced, do you like these men or not? Explain. 21. What do Pock Face & Theobold do in this chapter and how do they pull Bull into their actions? Do you think their actions are justifiable? Chapter 6 22. How is Wells involved with the medicine bundle and how does he think the Little Elk people would’ve acted differently if they had never lost the bundle? Do you agree with his speculation? Why or why not? 23. What involvement did Henry Jim have with the bundle 30 years ago? 24. Why won’t Wells help Raferty get the bundle back? What is the right thing to do? Chapter 7 25. Where is Henry Jim going on Red Son at the beginning of the chapter? Why? 26. How do all Henry Jims kinsmen react to the message he is bringing them? 27. Why is Henry Jimand then everyone elseחsinging? 28. Why won’t the US Marshall let the group of Indians inside the agency? 29. Who is already inside the agency? Chapter 8 30. What does Two Sleeps tell the women when he’s ask to decide what should be done about Pock Face & Theobold? How do the women react to his answer? 31. What happens with the whiskey? Why do you think this section is included in the book? 32. What did Bull do to fool Antoine as Antoine was trying to find him? According to Veronica, why does he do this? 33. How does Bull react when Pock Face tells him what he has done? How does this compare with what you would expect? Chapter 9 34. After they find the body, what is the tension between Rafferty and Grant? How are they approaching the crime differently? 35. What do we learn about the man who was killed? 36. What seems to be Sid Grant’s opinion of the Indian community? Find specific examples to back up your ideas. 37. What does Antoine do as he translates? Chapter 10 38. Who is the Boy? What do you think are the most important pieces information we get about him in this chapter? 39. What is confusing to Rafferty about the situation with the murder and how Bull and his people are involved? 40. Who is singing in this chapter and what is the significance? Chapter 11 41. Where are Bull and his men kept and why is this location chosen instead of the jail? 42. What does The Boy think working for the government does to an Indian mans relationship with his own people? Why do you think he continues his job if he believes this? 43. What problem does Bull have with the white man’s law that is keeping him at the agency? 44. What does Pock Face tell his people when he decides to speak? <blockquote>How does Pock Face’s dad, Louis, react to his son’s announcement? How does Bull react?</blockquote> 45. What has the Boy come to talk to Bull’s people about? 46. What is Bull’s impression of the “government man” (Rafferty)? 47. How does Bull want to handle the situation he and his people are in? 48. Why does Bull grieve for his brother Henry Jim when he isnt even dead? Chapter 12 49. What do Catherine and Lucille have in common? 50. What are all the women in camp doing or getting ready for? 51. What is Marie Louise’s predicament and how does it turn out? 52. If you were a woman in camp, whose actions would probably most closely resemble your own? Why? Chapter 13 53. Who arrives on the train? 54. Who is Adam Pell? Chapter 14 55. Where does Antoine plan to go after leaving the women at his Uncle Jeromes camp? 56. What plan for the Indians does the Long Armed man explain to Antoine at the boarding school? 57. Describe Antoine’s experience at boarding school. 58. What brings Antoine back to the Little Elk Reservation? Chapter 15 59. What disturbs Antoine about Henry Jim’s place, and what does he see once he gets there that makes him feel better? 60. What is strange about Henry Jim lying on the ground? Why has Henry Jim moved out of his house? Does this make sense to you? Why or why not? 61. What did the government man tell Henry Jim that turned out not to be true? 62. How does Henry Jim seem to feel now about the decisions he’s made in his life? Chapter 16 63. What is Edwards evaluation of Henry Jim’s health? 64. What is Rafferty concerned about? What is The Boys advice to Rafferty when he questions him about how to proceed with the murder investigation? 65. What conclusion has Henry Jim come to about why his tribe just left him behind? Assuming his conclusion is correct, do you think they did the right thing? 66. How does Rafferty decide to handle the situation with Bull and the murder accusations & Henry Jim needing his family near him as he is growing weaker? Chapter 17 67. What happened many years ago that first caused Bull to become angry? What changed? How? 68. What types of things were the white people doing at first that just made the Indians laugh? 69. Initially, what did Indians think would eventually happen to the white men? How did things actually progress? What does Bull think his people’s mistake was in dealing with the white people? 70. Explain Bull’s experience with the white school. Chapter 18 71. What is the relationship between Adam Pell and Gen (or Ms. Thomas Hendricks Cook) and how is the boy that was murdered related to them? 72. What did Adam’s friend Carlos do with his family’s land and how did people react? 73. What was Adam Pell’s promise to Carlos that caused him to miss his sisters Christmas gathering to go to Cuno, Peru? What did living in Cuno make Adam begin to think about? 74. What decision does Thomas Cooke make after listening to Adam and how does Gen react? Chapter 19 75. Why is the design of the dam impressive to the engineer? He uses the word “beautiful” in his description. What adjective would you use? 76. How did the US Marshal and his men find the gun? What two questions are still left unanswered even after the gun is discovered? Chapter 20 77. What is the first thing Bull says to the group when he arrives at the agency? How is this received? 78. How are the white laws and Indian ways of handling crimes different? What are the benefits and drawbacks of each system? 79. Why is Bull afraid of Sid Grant? 80. What are the contents of the two packages from Bull’s camp? 81. What are the two reasons the Marshall gives for his belief that Bull is not the murderer? 82. Who interrupts the meeting at the agency meeting and what is his message? 83. What stops Bull from rising to confront Adam Pell when he realizes he was the one responsible for the dam? 84. How does Thomas Cooke react to Pock Faces declaration and what does he recommend? 85. What realization has shocked Adam Pell? In what way, besides the trouble over the dam, is Adam Pell involved in the trouble on the Little Elk Reservation? After the discussion, what does he want to do and why? Chapter 21 86. What did Rafferty and Doc Edwards make up to explain to some of the government men that came to Henry JimҒs funeral and asked why his body was taken from a teepee and not his “elegant house” and why they were taking his horse along to the burial? 87. What did Henry Jim’s burial service entail? 88. How long was Rafferty on the Little Elk Reservation before any of the Natives actually started taking to him? Does this seem a long or short amount of time? Explain. 89. What does Henry Two Bits come to ask Rafferty? What does he have that surprises Rafferty? 90. How have things changed between The Boy and the rest of the Little Elk people? 91. What does Bull ask The Boy to do for him? Chapter 22 92. How does it seem things are going to turn out for Pock Face? What leads you to this conclusion? 93. What behavior of Bull’s, in his younger days when he was still drinking, sometimes scared others? What ended Bull’s drinking days? Chapter 23 94. What does Adam Pell realize American laws made legal that he feels is wrong (but none of his important friends seemed to agree). What did the law allow that Rafferty considered “thievery”? How does he think the white men who came to the reservation were also “exhorted”? 95. What are the two things that resulted as the dam? 96. How does Adam react to the judge’s claim that these exploits against the Indians were “hasty and not well considered”? Chapter 24 97. What does Two Sleeps experience in this chapter? Chapter 25 98. The Little Elk people always get together for storytelling and remembering in the winter, but there are some things different than this winter than last. What are they? 99. Describe the circumstances of how Antoine ended up at boarding school. 100. Describe how Celeste, Antoine, Veronica and Bull are related and how their relationships have changed over the years. 101. Why does Bull want to tell old stories—those his father knew—instead of telling stories from his own life? Do you think anything similar to this happens in society today? 102. Who is Featherboy really? What does he bring the Little Elk people and why is the bundle important or why do they people need to protect it? Chapter 26 103. Why does Adam Pell want to bring the Little Elk people a gift? What does he plan to give them? Where did this come from and why does he think it is a good gift? Do you think his gesture is appropriate or not? Explain. Chapter 27 104. What messages does the Boy bring to Bull’s camp? 105. How does Louis feel about the current situation they are all in? What does he think they should do? What is Bull’s reply? Chapter 28 106. How has the Little Elk Valley changed over the last few years? Which changes are positive? Negative? 107. What does Pock Face think they should do about the requests they receive? What does Louis think about it or want to do? Chapter 29 108. What problem does Adam Rafferty think would arise if all 2,000 Indians actually decided they wanted to farm, as the government wants them to? 109. How does Adam Pell feel about the government’s Indian policy now he is aware of it? 110. What do Doc Edwards and Rafferty want Pell to do instead of telling Bull what actually happened to the bundle? Why? Do you think their plan is wise? Explain. 111. Why does Adam think his object is a good substitute for the bundle? Chapter 30 112. Where are Bull and his group going, and what makes Bull suspicious? Chapter 31 113. Where is Veronica going? 114. What do Veronica and Two Sleeps end up doing? 115. What does Veronica see that Two Sleeps seems to miss? 116. What does Two Sleeps see/ understand? Chapter 32 117. What does Rafferty think of The Boy? Of Bull? 118. What does Rafferty confront Adam about? (then warn him about again a few pages later) 119. What chance does Rafferty think they’ve missed by telling the Little Elk people their sacred object is gone? 120. Why has Adam Pell brought Mr. Davis? 121. What does Adam Pell tell Bull and his men? How do BullҒs men react? 122. What does Louis that basically ends the meeting? 123. Whose acts would you say are noble in the end? How do you decide? 124. What do you think of the ending of the book? Is it strong or weak? Interesting? Regardless of whether your like or dislike it, does it seem appropriate? Why or why not? 125. Go back to the first sentence of the book: “The Indian named Bull and his grandson took a walk into the mountains to look at a dam built in a cleft of rock, and what began as a walk became a journey into the world.” After finishing, what do you think this means? 126. What parts of the book seems to reflect historical events? <a href="http://www.flatheadreservation.org/index.php/assign/wind_from_an_enemy_sky/">Wind from an Enemy Sky</a> sent from Michael L. Umphrey's website