Canku Ota
	(Many Paths)
	An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America
	July 14, 2001 - Issue 40
	Watonka: A Book Review
	Editor's Note: Summertime is reading time. I recently had the pleasure of reading three books by Dr. Bruce Stapleton. In the next few issues, I will share a review with you. The first, is Watonka.

In a dream, the Great Spirit reveals to the descendant of a Sioux warrior how children will help bring peace to the tormented spirits of Arapaho ghost dancers. Two mysterious young visitors join forces with two boys in a small Oklahoma town, and are led to Little Fox, the great-niece of a revered Cheyenne medicine man. The children uncover a long-forgotten journal of the medicine man, which describes a Cherokee formulae used many years before to cure Arapaho chief Watonka of cancer. The warrior's descendant suffers from the same disease, as does Gentle Bear, a Cheyenne friend of Little Fox. Spirits of the ghost dancers, led by Watonka, appear to the children and in doing so reveal the healing plants used in the formulae. With the help of Little Fox, the children gather the plants and prepare the medicines, which relieve Gentle Bear's suffering. Unfortunately, Gentle Bear's drunken and violent husband, Horace Calicott, tries to steal the now-valuable journal from the children. This sets up a tense and dramatic climax to the story, with the ghost dancers' symbolic redemption and the descendant's life hanging in the balance. The surprise ending reveals the true purpose of the mysterious visitors, and the Great Spirit's possible motives for interceding on behalf of the ghost dancers. Given the historical content and cultural insights, this book is especially appropriate for students and young adult readers. It has been recommended for usage in libraries and schools. This book can be ordered through iuniverse.com, barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com, with discounts available for educators. On the iuniverse.com site, you can browse the full contents of the book. ISBN: 0595129269

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