Tindam was born and raised in Bree, the oldest child of a merchant and his frail, artistic wife. His first sister, Amiline or "Amy", was born two years later, and his youngest sister Auina two years after that. The three of them lost their mother not long after Auina was born, and with their father often away for work, they were left in the care of their mother's sisters. Aunts Gardenia and Marigold did their best to raise three children on little more than the income of hatmakers, supplemented by money sent back by the elder Thistle. But when Tindam was nearing thirteen years, their father died of disease. As Amy bitterly remembered, he wasn't even home for that. He sent a letter back to the siblings with encouragement and words of wisdom, such as they were. Tindam was charged with watching after his sisters and aunts, something in fairness his father had never done. But Tindam took it to heart and still feels responsible for the lot. 

From age thirteen on, Tindam worked at the Combe lumber yard. By sixteen, he apprenticed to a carpenter and began focusing more on that. He's now nearly respected enough to do his own work, but he believes in staying with the lumbermen. They can do more work together than he can do alone, and he'd be overwhelmed keeping track of an entire project alone.

The worry of Tindam's life is his sister Amy. To his mind, she does everything the wrong way on purpose, and wants to live a short and danger-filled life. It's the opposite of his simple wants for a wife, a house and steady work, and he has a hard time understanding it. He's fiercely protective of both his sisters, but while Auina is seemingly easy to protect, Amy fights it at every turn.