Iron Thunderhorse facts for kids

Iron Thunderhorse is an author and a prisoner in Texas. He has described himself as a leader and historian for the Quinnipiac people. He also calls himself a "Thunderbird Clan Shaman," which is a spiritual guide.

Early Life and Family History

Iron Thunderhorse was born William L. Coppola in New Haven, Connecticut, on January 29, 1950. In 1989, he officially changed his name to Iron Thunderhorse. He said this name was a translation in the Quinnipiac language.

His mother, Norma Patricia Brown, was a grand niece of Sakaskantawe (Flying Squirrel Woman). She was a descendant of the Quinnipiac people from southwestern Connecticut. These people were among the first to be forced from their land. Thunderhorse's father was from Naples, Italy. His stepfather was an Ojibway from Quebec, Canada.

By age 12, Thunderhorse learned six languages from his family. These included English, Italian, Latin, French-Canadian, Anishinabemowin, and Quiripi. He learned to love and protect his Native American ancestors' language and traditions from Sakaskantawe. She was very old when she taught him about 100 basic Quiripi words. She also taught him various Quiripi traditions and why it was important to keep them alive.

Spiritual Beliefs

Thunderhorse wrote many books about New Age ideas. These ideas combine different spiritual beliefs. His teachings mix Native American religion with other New Age topics. These include Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism, and Ancient Druidism. Some people have questioned if Thunderhorse is truly Native American.

Time in Prison

Thunderhorse was put in prison by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in 1978. He was found guilty of serious crimes in 1977. Later, in 1991, he was also found guilty of escaping. He was sentenced to a long time in prison.

In June 2014, he was released to a halfway house in Houston, Texas. However, he removed his electronic ankle monitor and ran away to New Haven, Connecticut. In August 2014, he tried to use an old ID at a bank. A bank employee searched for him online and found out he was a fugitive. The police were called, and he was arrested. Thunderhorse tried to avoid being sent back to Texas. But the Supreme Court said he had to return in January 2015.

He was denied parole on October 13, 2022. This was because of his past and the serious nature of his crimes.

Working for Justice

Early in his time in prison, Thunderhorse became a certified paralegal. This means he learned how to help with legal cases. He worked as an editor for Thunderbird Free Press. This publication focused on the rights of Native American tribes and prisoners. He also worked for the Prison Law Monitor.

His first published legal work was Breaking the Chains in 1983. This book was about how people can represent themselves in court in America. He also wrote columns about prison law for several magazines.

Thunderhorse was involved in a big court case called Ruis v. Estelle. This case aimed to improve prison conditions. In 1981, a judge appointed someone to check if the prison was following court orders. This person interviewed Thunderhorse about how "jailhouse lawyers" (prisoners who help others with legal issues) were treated.

Thunderhorse wrote columns about laws and prison reform for newspapers like the Daily Texas and the Houston Post. In 1990, a reporter called him "one of the most formidable legal opponents" the state had ever met. He was described as a very skilled and determined self-taught prison lawyer.

Thunderhorse also helped start The Thunderbird Alliance. This group brought together Tribes, spiritual societies, and prison groups. They worked to solve problems faced by Native Americans practicing their religion in prison. He was the Editor-in-Chief for The Thunderbird Free Press, the group's quarterly magazine.

In 2000, a group called ECOS was trying to save two parks in Connecticut from becoming a golf course. They asked for help from ACQTC, Inc. Thunderhorse stepped in and filed a motion to help. He provided a long study about the park sites. Eventually, the Attorney General decided to stop the golf course plan. Thunderhorse had pointed out that the land was given with the rule that it must be used for the public.

In 2003, Thunderhorse, who is now legally blind, filed a lawsuit. He used the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to argue that Texas prisons did not properly help prisoners with disabilities. This led to an investigation by ADVOCACY, Inc.

In late 2004, Thunderhorse filed another lawsuit. He claimed that prison officials had broken earlier agreements. Even though a judge first ruled against him, he appealed. The higher court sent the case back for more review.

Artist and Writer

Thunderhorse has published special guides that teach about Native American traditional crafts. His book, Return of the Thunderbeings, includes chapters on spiritual art. It is full of symbols and designs used in tribal arts and crafts. All of his books and studies include his own drawings, maps, and charts. Some of his illustrations are in Voices of Native America. He also designed the cover for his only authorized biography.

Thunderhorse's historical drawing of Tecumseh is on display at the Museums at Prophetstown State Park in Lafayette, Indiana. His masks are in private collections. Many of his original works were displayed for years at the Indian Trading Post and Powwow Museum in Indiana. Other works have been shown in Louisville, Kentucky; New York City; Orange, Texas; and other places. A permanent display of his maps and portraits is at the Quinnipiac Dawnland Museum in Guilford, Connecticut. A large collection of his work is also at the ACQTC National Office in Milltown, Indiana. His creations have been used as teaching tools at gatherings in Connecticut, Indiana, New York, and Quebec, Canada. He has also given paintings to groups to help raise money and awareness.

Published Works

Thunderhorse has written poetry in different Algonquian languages and many scholarly papers on languages. In 2000, he created a 100-page guide for the Quiripi language. In 2006, he published a larger, updated version of this guide.

• Breaking the Chains: A History of Self-Representation in America, 1983.
• Paradox, A Psychic Journey, 1984. ISBN: 0-913407-01-1
• Medicine Visions (Poetry chapbook), 1985.
• Relocation, Crimes Against Nature, 1986.
• Thunderbird Voices Speaking, 1987.
• Return of the Thunderbeings, with Donn Le Vie, Jr., 1990. ISBN: 0-939680-68-8
• Learning All About Suckerfish Writing: The Micmac's Glottographic Writing System, 2000.
• A Complete Language Guide & Primer to the Wampano/Quinnipiac R-Dialect of Southwestern New England, 2000.
• There's More Than Rocks, Trees, and Streams in the Woods, 2000.
• We the People Called Quinnipiac, 2001-2002 (available electronically).

Articles and Columns

• "The Freedom Fighters" (as William "Crazy Horse" Coppola) in Easyriders Issue 102, December 1981.
• "Algonquian and Iroquoian Influence on the American System of Democracy" in TURTLE QUARTERLY, Winter 1988.
• "The Thunderbird Alliance: Reclaiming the Legacy of Tribal Democracy," Humanity & Society, 1989.
• "Dreams Visions and Prophecies of the Anishinaabe" in AMERICAN INDIAN REVIEW, UK, 1992.
• "Pride, Protest, and Prejudice in the Arts" in TURTLE QUARTERLY, Fall-Winter, 1994.
• "She Who is Alone" (A Texas Indian Legend About the Bluebonnet Wildflowers), in WILD WEST, Oct. 1996.
• "The Dawnstar Carved in Stone," in NEARA JOURNAL, Spring 1997.
• "Sharing the Good Message: The Art of Storytelling in the Poetry of Joseph Bruchac" in PAINTBRUSH, A Journal of Poetry and Translations, Autumn 1997.
• "Native American Picture-Writing: A Lost Art Currently Being Revived in Indian Country," in Whispering Wind, 1998.
• Arts & Crafts Columns in Country Road Chronicles, Mar-Sept 1999.
• "The Quinnipiac of New England," in Whispering Wind, 2002.
• "Algonquian Influence on Shaping of America," in WILD WEST, June 2002.
• "Algonquian Influence on Powwow Culture," in Whispering Wind, 2003.
• Columns and Features in ANCIENT AMERICAN, various issues.
• 100 Columns in Branford Review, Nov. 2001 through Dec. 2004.

Manuscripts

• The Complete Guide for Learning, Speaking, and Writing the PEA-A Wampano-Quiripi R-Dialect, 2006.
• Sacred Pathways of our Indian Ancestry, 2000.
• Graphical Writing Systems: An Introduction to the Study of Native American Indian Languages, 1996.
• Quinnipiac: Land Where the People, Rivers, Mountains, and Trails Converge, 1995.
• Sacred Cultural Landscapes: The Ways of Algonquian Sachemdoms – and – Implications of a Thunder Clan Shamanic Complex in Western Connecticut, 2000.

More Works

You can find a more complete list of Thunderhorse's works from 1985–2005 in the book Following the Footprints of a Stone Giant: The Life and Times of Iron Thunderhorse. Some of his works are kept at the Beineke Rare Books (Yale University) Library in New Haven, Connecticut. You can also find them at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Mashantucket Pequot Research Center. Other locations include the Center for Algonquian Culture in Woodstock, New York, and the Quinnipiac Dawnland Museum in Guilford, Connecticut.