New Releases by Greg Vizzi

Dick “Quiet Thunder” Gilbert is a traditional Lenape Indian elder and chief residing in the state of Delaware. For three decades, he has inspired thousands of grade schoolers and adults in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Southern New Jersey, thrilling them with his authentic presentations and stories. The Original People is a compelling collection of the chief's childhood memories and a history of his tribe. He describes tribal ceremonies, traditions and social life before contact with Europeans. The book is a tribute to a highly esteemed Native American and extols the wisdom of his people who enjoyed a peaceful existence for untold generations. It is a story few people know. Quiet Thunder wrote: “I am fortunate to know many of the traditional ways of the Lenni-Lenape. The name Lenni-Lenape means Original People.” The Lenni-Lenape were the Grandfather Tribe of all the Algonquin (Woodland) Indians. Working for over seven years recording and transcribing hundreds of interviews, stories and conversations, author Greg Vizzi allows Quiet Thunder to speak in his own voice. His voice, like his name, has a restrained power that is hard to resist. As thunder accompanies lightening, his words bring new light to our understanding of American Indians. This book does not speculate about their lives from an archaeological or academic worldview five hundred years after the fact. Instead, it is based on the ancient practice of oral history. This is a tradition of passing down historical knowledge through family, friends and elders. It is knowledge of their culture: family and social relations, tribal law, religion, education, and their relationship to the land. The primary story comes down through Quiet Thunder's own family lineage and oral history. In his early-eighties, this “peaceful warrior” has an important message to share coming straight from his heart and native culture: “The earth is our mother, and we all have a sacred obligation to learn to live in harmony with her and protect her for future generations.” His message has not changed over the years and becomes even more relevant today as our planet comes under escalating environmental impacts from industrial extraction and over-consumption.