Obviously, silver-age western comics don’t have much to do with reality. For a headcanon reboot thing, though, what should his band do?
He is Cheyenne, and it seems to be the first half of the 1880s (at least by some references) and thus I’ve placed Johnny Thunder in Montana. Should his group leave the vicinity of Mesa City to join the Northern Cheyenne at the Tongue River - I understand it mattered to a good number that all their people be together? Should I create a third (and fictional) Cheyenne reservation, instead, since we already have lots of fictional cities in DC? Or is that too much like creating a whole new Native American culture instead of using the real one? I’d really make them another band of Northern Cheyenne, though, not separate.
I like the idea of a third location for something a bit less depressing than real history for the Cheyenne, and so that I can create Indian Agents good or bad to serve the needs of the story. I like a happy ending, but I cannot diverge so far back in time as to have them continue on their own, living their way, and not on a reservation. It’s just a bridge too far for me, it changes the present too much. “Not as bad” is about the best I can go for, with Swift Deer himself, at least, being fairly happy. And them surprisingly near a town that mostly at least tolerates them, if not accepting them.
I’m not one for grimdark at all, and am not looking for real realism, either (though that’s pretty grim dark). But some flavor of reality would be good. Just not to the extent that while John Tane is getting electric lights and running water, Swift Deer is getting starved by withheld rations, etc.
Then there are the difficulties that come with Swift Deer. He is very much trying to learn some things from white people. I don’t want him with the idea that “white is right” but neither do I want him to be unwilling to change or adopt better technologies, and it’s a hard balance. Obviously, historically, the Cheyenne traded very much and did use elements of technology more recently from white people (though sometimes through intermediaries). And even before dealing with white people, they changed and adapted through time. No culture is static. And that’s what I’m going for. Swift Deer knows the world has changed, the old way is dead, the bison are going or gone, and now the decision is what to do next, given the realities of this world. Plus, at first he still just a kid who wants to cover himself in glory - can’t deny that. :)
Swift Deer will stay among his people. I’m considering him becoming a writer of boy’s adventures stories for magazines or dime novels once he’s older. Westerns were popular at the time, but I thought instead of writing about Indians, he might write those horribly incorrect stories about adventurers in Egypt, with mummies and all. If a culture is to be badly misrepresented, it doesn’t have to be his own. And he’d have loved those sorts of thrilling tales as a boy. If he was born a bit later, I’d probably have him on the rodeo circuit.
Also, was considering his one of his sons going off to WWI and then later leaving the reservation. Because not everyone stays, and he’s traveled and seen big cities and liked it. And even with the discrimination, there seems a better economic future elsewhere (plus modern conveniences). Obviously, they weren’t all citizens then, with freedom to travel. And the vast, vast majority did still live on reservations, so maybe it’s too soon a time in history for that. But I don’t want that to seem like some natural superiority of his descendant adopting white culture or a sell-out abandoning his home, family, and identity. Just a person making the choice he thinks best for his own future.
Edit: Turns out writer’s wages went up and up during this era (from 1 cent per word to 3) while prices were generally going down, so he could live rather well and have excess, even when helping family. He invested a little (as a form of 100% legal property tax avoidance at first), and wound up very very well off. Not sure if I want to accept that or avoid him investing in a car company so he doesn’t get too rich. Several of them just grew so very much in that era (over 1000% profit in 15 years). But production numbers were going up, so it seemed a logical place for him to invest.
