Chula the Fox

Chula, a Chickasaw boy, is suddenly thrown into the murky and treacherous worlds of warfare and adulthood after a traumatic ambush costs him his father. Left haunted by a restless spirit, Chula concludes, in line with the customs of his time, that only vengeance will make things right again. With the help of his Uncle Lheotubby, and armed with a brand-new musket, Chula hones his skills to become one of the revered Chickasaw warriors. He vows to join a raid against the enemy, regardless of his youth, to avenge his father and put his spirit at peace. But Chula, his heart full of questions, finds that the greatest war rages within himself. It seems he is foiled at every turn by his nemesis, Nukni, and inwardly he is ambushed by self-doubt. Is Chula destined for the path of the warrior, or will a different future await him?

Chula the Fox is a middle grade historical novel, steeped in Chickasaw language and culture and set in our tribe's Homeland, near present-day Mississippi. It tells an honest and often frank story about Chickasaw lives and the challenges our Native American ancestors faced during the early eighteenth century.