Thunder Rolling in the Mountains

Old Joseph is the former chief of the Nez Perce and Sound of Running Feet’s grandfather. He is dead when the novel begins, but his legacy lives on in the rifle he gives to Sound of Running Feet to protect her tribe. 

Chief Joseph is the chief of the Nez Perce tribe. He is not a war chief—he is more concerned with preserving the lives of his people, especially the weak, elderly, women, and children. Chief Joseph is married to Springtime, Sound of Running Feet’s mother. He can also tell the future—he can sense the coming of white soldiers and has a prescience that often dictates his actions. The soldiers refuse to treat him diplomatically despite his attempts to reason with them. They punish him even for his surrender, which results in the death of many of his people. Chief Joseph proves to be a practical, nonviolent, and pure-hearted leader concerned only with his land and his peoples’ well-being. He gives up his land to save what remains of his people, but never recovers from this loss. 

White Feather is friend of Sound of Running Feet. She doesn’t have particularly developed character, but a white soldier disfigures her though she is an unarmed woman. She serves to develop the white soldiers as immoral antagonists. 

Jason Upright is the white settler who Sound of Running Feet challenges at the beginning of the novel. This first altercation displays Sound of Running Feet’s bravery and perhaps thoughtless behavior. 

Too-hul-hul-sote is a priest of the Dreamers and chief of the Roamers, a small band of Nez Perce who travel. He is a war chief and makes many decisions for the tribe when they are at war with the soldiers. He is also a fierce warrior and insists on fighting rather than surrendering to the whites. He dies in the final battle of the Nez Perce. 

General Howard is the one-armed leader of the white soldiers. He is a cruel and devious man, and he frequently lies to the Nez Perce about his intentions. When Chief Joseph surrenders to him, he takes the Nez Perce to Oklahoma, where many of the Nez Perce die of heat stroke, poverty, sickness, and hunger. He does not care about the Nez Perce connection to Wallowa or about their belief systems. He serves as the novel’s main antagonist.

Swan Necklace is the fiancé of Sound of Running Feet. He begins the novel as a painter and his father calls him an idler because of it. He becomes a horse holder for the Red Coats, a gang of young men who want to kill all whites as revenge for their dead fathers. Eventually, Swan Necklace becomes one of the Red Coat and is the last remaining Red Coat to die after the fierce battles with the whites. He is sweet to Sound of Running Feet, and protective of her. The many battles warp his character from a docile person to one eager for war. Charging Hawk kills him for his rifle and for Sound of Running Feet as a wife. 

Red Moccasin Tops is one of the Red Coats. He wants revenge on the whites for killing his father. He is fierce, and stupid—he does not think logically about the consequences of his actions. He fights fiercely and protects his people against the whites once they are in war. 

Wah-lit-its is another Red Coat, one of three including Swan Necklace. He also wants revenge, and he is the boy who begins the war with the white soldiers the night before they are due to arrive in Lapwai. He also dies in battle. 

Ollokot is Sound of Running Feet’s uncle. He is the best warrior in the tribe. His wife dies many days before him of war wounds, and he dies in one of the final battles. Though a fierce warrior, he is also practical and hopes to protect his people as best he can. 

Springtime is the mother of Sound of Running Feet. At the beginning of the novel she is pregnant with a child, Bending Willow, whom she has in Wallowa on their final day in their homeland, by her own insistence. She dies of wounds from battle, and Sound of Running Feet and another mother, Deer Woman, take over the care of Bending Willow. 

Captain Jerome is the captured white soldier who the Nez Perce capture just after the whites unfairly capture Chief Joseph during a truce. Captain Jerome writes a note to his soldiers, demanding they treat Chief Joseph with the same respect he received as a prisoner of the Nez Perce. He eventually goes back to the soldiers. 

Red Elk is an Assiniboin man who invites Sound of Running Feet and Swan Necklace to stay with him as they travel toward Canada. He gives them supplies, but ultimately sends his son, Charging Hawk, to murder Swan Necklace for their new rifles. This is the second time fellow natives betray Sound of Running Feet and her people, as the Crow sided with the white men to preserve themselves. 

Charging Hawk is the son of Red Elk. He is a ferocious warrior and murders Swan Necklace for his rifle. Charging Hawk tries to impress Sound of Running Feet to demonstrate his worthiness as a husband. His first wife died when she was pregnant with their child and Charging Hawk has decided Sound of Running Feet is the best replacement. Charging Hawk is furious when Sound of Running Feet flees on their wedding night, but Sound of Running Feet ultimately spares his life. Doing so symbolizes her decision to end the cycle of violence and be different than the betrayers surrounding her. 

Alighting Dove is the wife of Red Elk. She is kind to Sound of Running Feet and allows her to bury Swan Necklace. She communicates through signs that she feels Sound of Running Feet’s grief. She teaches Sound of Running Feet Assiniboin customs. 

Looking Glass is one of the war chiefs of the Nez Perce. He allows Lean Elk to take over as chief, despite his feeling that his people are in danger. He can see the future and wears a looking glass around his neck as a tool to connect with his premonitions.