Part of my book, "Hollow Point" is derived from a legend the Suquamish told for generations. I didn't understand the significance of the double-headed eagle until I started digging for facts and origins. I named this character Old Man the same as Chief Sealth, who resided in Old Man House, a very large shelter where several families lived more than a century ago.

The double-headed eagle signified an earthquake and in the Suquamish story, separated what is now Bainbridge Island from the Kitsap mainland after the eagle and a great monster plowed a trench in an epic battle the eagle eventually won. The eagle lives on in lore still.

This is but one of the oddities that the Tribal Officer adopts in his state of grief to assist in his fight against evil. He quits worrying about his own sanity when the tide begins to change and his ragtag crew embraces him as their project.

I've seen plenty of bison in my life. One of my family's favorite things to do is to feed them bread at a Game Farm about an hour from my house. Those long, slimy tongues leave a distinct tongue print on your vehicle and windows. It is expected.

What wasn't expected on my Montana trip was a large herd of buffalo on the roadside! I didn't realize that raising bison was a going concern on the Blackfeet Rez, not to mention the National Bison Preserve is located fairly close by. I suppose the thing that shocked me was their numbers and each of them had an ear tag like cattle do. It's one thing to see one of these animals next to your rig, but imagining hunting them from a running herd en masse was an eye opener.

Sure, times have changed, but I doubt the basic draw of the hunt hasn't. A hunter, his horse and a bow against a huge animal with horns. He didn't have the luxury of sitting in a steel chariot. If all I had was a horse and bow there'd be much more than buffalo chips spread across the Great Plains!

It all told me that these were a sturdy people. It's no wonder they were feared by other tribes.