Hungry Wolf, Adolf 1944–

(Adolf Gutohrlein, Adolf Hungry Wolf)

PERSONAL:

Name originally Adolf Gutohrlein; born February 16, 1944, in Germany; son of Swiss and Hungarian parents; married Beverly Little Bear (a writer), October, 1971; children: Adolf, Jr., Okan, Iniskim, Star. Education: Long Beach State College (now University of California, Long Beach), B.A., 1966.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada.

CAREER:

Writer, 1962—. Union Pacific Railroad, Los Angeles, CA, locomotive fireman, 1962-65; high school history teacher in Long Beach, CA, 1967; longshoreman, 1968-69.

MEMBER:

Crazy Dogs Society (traditional Blackfoot warrior group).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Preis der Leseratten from German Scholastic Association, 1983, for Der Rabe weiss wo die Sonne wohnt: Wie ich eine indianische Familie bekam.

WRITINGS:

Tipi Life, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1972.

The Good Medicine Book, Warner Paperback Library (New York, NY), 1973.

Charlo's People: The Flathead Tribe of Montana, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1974.

Blackfoot People: A Tribal Handbook, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1975.

Indian Summer, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1975.

(With wife, Beverly Hungry Wolf) Blackfoot Craftworker's Book, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1977.

The Blood People, Harper (New York, NY), 1977.

Rails in the Mother Lode, Darwin Publications, 1978.

Rails in the Canadian Rockies, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1979.

(With Ben Calf Robe and Beverly. Hungry Wolf) Siksika: A Blackfoot Legacy, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1979.

A Good Medicine Collection: Life in Harmony with Nature (previously published as parts of the Good Medicine Books series, Volumes 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8), Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1983.

Canadian Railway Scenes, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1983.

(With Beverly Hungry Wolf) Pow-wow, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1983.

(With Beverly Hungry Wolf) Shadows of the Buffalo: A Family Odyssey among the Indians, Morrow (New York, NY), 1983.

Der Rabe weiss wo die Sonne wohnt: Wie ich eine indianische Familie bekam (title means "The Raven Knows Where the Sun Lives: How I Became Part of an Indian Family"), Sauerlander, 1983.

(With son, Okan Hungry Wolf) Canadian Railway Stories: 100 Years of History and Lore, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1985.

(Editor, with Beverly Hungry Wolf) Children of the Sun: Stories by and about Indian Kids, Morrow (New York, NY), 1987.

Off on a Wild Caboose Chase: True Adventures, Folklore, and a Farewell Tribute to the Old Train Caboose by a Writer Who Lives Aboard One, Morrow (New York, NY), 1989.

Teachings of Nature, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1989.

Legends Told by the Old People, Book Publishing (Summertown, TN), 1990.

Traditional Dress, Book Publishing (Summertown, TN), 1990.

Canadian Railway Scenes No. 4, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1991.

Canadian Sunset: A Farewell Look at North America's Last Great Train, Interurban Press (Glendale, CA), 1991.

(With Beverly Hungry Wolf) Indian Tribes of the Northern Rockies, Book Publishing (Summertown, TN), 1991.

(With Star Hungry Wolf) Children of the Circle: Photos and Essays of Indian Kids, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1991.

Mountain Home: Tales of Seeking a Family Life in Harmony with Nature, Canadian Caboose Press (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 1996.

(Compiler) Legends Told by the Old People of Many Tribes, Native Voices Book Pub. Co. (Summertown, TN), 2001.

Traditional Dress: Knowledge and Methods of Old-time Clothing, Native Voices (Summertown, TN), 2003.

Pow-wow Dancer's and Craftworker's Handbook, drawings by Okan Hungry Wolf, Native Voices (Summertown, TN), 2005.

The Tipi: Traditional Native American Shelter, Native Voices Book Pub. Co. (Summertown, TN), 2006.

Blackfoot Papers, Good Medicine Books (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada), 2006.

Tribal Childhood, Native Voices (Summertown, TN), 2008.

SIDELIGHTS:

Adolf Hungry Wolf practices "life in harmony with nature." He and his family live in the wilderness of the Canadian Rockies, without telephones, electricity, or formal schools. Hungry Wolf, his wife, Beverly, and their children have adopted traditions passed on by Native American forebears and participate in Blackfoot Indian tribal events. Hungry Wolf's interest in railroads is evidenced by his four cabooses, five box cars, and tracks. He writes from an office he constructed in one of his railroad cars.

Off on a Wild Caboose Chase: True Adventures, Folklore, and a Farewell Tribute to the Old Train Caboose by a Writer Who Lives Aboard One is Hungry Wolf's tribute to his favorite type of train car, now falling into disuse. The book features a guide to scenic rail trips, train-oriented songs and poems, and stories of his experiences as a railroad employee and caboose owner. A Publishers Weekly reviewer calls the book "a relaxing and enjoyable reading experience."

In The Tipi: Traditional Native American Shelter, Hungry Wolf provides readers with an in-depth look at the traditional Native American structure, discussing the various ways in which the tipi has been used through history by different Native American tribes, and also including information on the variations of design that can be found. Not all Native American tribes use the tipi, and those that do have adjusted the design over time to best suit their personal needs, based on population, geographical considerations, and climate. Variations on the tipi are also included, such as the sweat lodge. Hungry Wolf also offers readers the commentaries of a number of different experts on the subject of Native American and aboriginal dwellings, and the tipi in particular. These commentaries cover such topics as the structural stability of the tipi, how it is traditionally constructed, ease of portability, and a historical overview of the use of the tipi. Illustrations and photographs help to make the structure and uses of the tipi clear. A reviewer for Small Press Bookwatch dubbed the book "a seminal contribution to personal and academic Native American Studies … collections," and a writer in California Bookwatch noted that the book offers "a survey of tipi life among all the tribes, not just one." Booklist contributor Deborah Donovan commented that "the photos alone should spark interest in this invaluable resource for Native American studies."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2006, Deborah Donovan, review of The Tipi: Traditional Native American Shelter, p. 24.

California Bookwatch, May 1, 2006, "The Tipi," review of The Tipi, May 1, 2006.

Publishers Weekly, November 18, 1988, review of Off on a Wild Caboose Chase: True Adventures, Folklore, and a Farewell Tribute to the Old Train Caboose by a Writer Who Lives Aboard One, p. 58.

Small Press Bookwatch, April 1, 2006, review of The Tipi.