Red Thunder Cloud (May 30, 1919 – January 8, 1996), whose English name was Cromwell Ashbie Hawkins West and who was also known as Carlos Westez, was the last native speaker of the Catawba Indian language. His obituary was later published in this language in the New York Times. Born in Newport, Rhode Island, of African-American parents, Cromwell West developed a passion for Native American history during his teenage years. He embraced a Native American identity and throughout his life, studied Native American languages extensively.
Gordon (2005) reports the other last native speakers of Catawba died before 1960. There are claims that Red Thunder Cloud is apparently an impostor and he is not really a native speaker of Catawban.
Famous quotes containing the words red, thunder and/or cloud:
“Take a red book called TELEPHONE,
size eight by four. There it sits.
My red book, name, address and number.
These are all people that I somehow own.
Yet some of these names are counterfeit.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“Lies save trouble now, but may return in thunder and lightning.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“Hearing the low sound
of a cloud scattering rain
at midnight
and thinking for an eternity
on his absent young wife,
a traveller heaved a sigh
and with a flood of tears
howled the whole night long.
Now, villagers won’t let him stay
in their place anymore.”
—Amaru (c. seventh century A.D.)