When the Legends Die (Borland, 1963) describes the struggle of Tom Black Bull, a Ute Indian born shortly before 1910, to find his place in the world. Because his father is a fugitive, TomÆs childhood is spent in the mountains of Colorado with only his parents, living as Indians had lived for generations, hunting and gathering, in harmony with the land and with animals. During his boyhood, TomÆs father and then his mother die, but Tom continues to live in the mountains with a bear cub he calls his brother.
When Tom is eleven, Blue Elk, paid by the Indian agent, brings Tom to the reservation school where he and his bear cub are held captive. When Tom escapes, he discovers that Blue Elk has stolen his belongings and burned his lodge. With no home remaining, Tom returns to the reservation school where he dresses like a white and does as he is told, but is withdrawn and alone. When the bear comes to find him, Tom sends him away for his own good, thus saying good-bye to everything that he knew and loved.
After three years at the reservation school learning English and performing manual labor, Tom leaves the reservation with Red Dillon, an over-the-hill, drunken bronc rider who teaches Tom to ride rodeo bucking horses. Red and Tom travel the country, making money by hustling bets at small rodeos. Red often compels Tom to lose rounds that he could win, so that betting on later rounds, when he wins, will be higher. Tom resents losing rides that he could win, but is powerless to control his life, just as he has had no control over his life since he was taken to the reservation. Tom channels his anger into his contests with the horses, riding fiercely and brutally, punishing the horses, taking his anger at Red out on the horses. In the struggle with the horse, he feels he has a chance to win; in fact, he usually wins.
After a few years, Tom grows up and Red can no longer force him to follow orders. Tom begins to ride to...