The Story of Walks with Bear and Bro'Ken

Spanning two quests across generations, this tale begins in the 1700s with Kenthaki, a Shawnee youth later known as Walks-With-Bear, who embarks on a journey with his father’s obsidian knife, a pouch of medicinal herbs, and a staff to find his life’s purpose. His confrontation with a bear and the subsequent adoption of its cub, alongside the transformative relationship with a Christian captive, shapes his future. Years later, his grandson, Bro’Ken, undertakes his own quest to locate his missing father, leading to profound changes. Inspired by the 2003-2006 Lewis and Clark re-enactment, this narrative explores life-altering quests and the impact of cultural intersections.

Joe Hipp is a retired Air Force Navigator, studied Journalism at Texas A&M, landed a Texas Press Association internship on the San Antonio Express-News before graduation in 1954. That began his writing career. He flew in the backseat of an Air Defense Command F-89, running intercepts until released from active duty, worked on a weekly newspaper until recalled in 1959 (Lebanon Crisis). With tours in England, Vietnam and Germany, he retired from the Air Force in 1986, and began traveling in a motorhome, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and church builders. Writing three non-fiction books and his first novel, he settled in the Army Residence Community. Traveling the Lewis and Clark trail several times, he discovered the story of ‘Walks With Bear.’