The Grass Dancer by Susan Power

When Harley saw his father, Calvin Wind Soldier, and his brother, Duane, in dreams they were wearing crowns of glass.  They were both killed in a car accident before Harley was born.

Partial list of Characters:
Harley Wind Soldier
Lydia - Harley's mother
Charlene - Crystal's daughter
Mercury - Charlene's grandmother - a witch

Harley never heard his mother's speaking voice.  Ever since the accident that took her husband and son, she refused to speak.

Chapter 1 - 1981

Charlene attempted to fix Mercury's knees with silly putty.  Instead they got worse, shapeless as dough.
Pumpkin and Nathan soar over the cliff.

Chapter 2

Jeanette McVay - teacher - 8th grade, forms circle with desks
Virgil Ribs - Jeanette's boyfirend - he beats her
Jeanette had her students reading James Fennimore Cooper.  They protested and she threw the books in the garbage.  Why?

Jeanette asked them to tell their stories.

The first piano the Sioux saw came down the river on a boat and was playing church music on deck.  It brought Christianity to the area and lots of converts.

Charlene is afraid of her grandmother, Mercury Thunder.

Chapter 3 - Harod Small War - 1976

Archie Iron Necklace wrecked his motorcycle in the bullpen.

Alberta - Harod's wife.

Clara Miller - Harod cheated on his wife because she wouldn't let him touch her.

They were looking for the medicine hole.

Chapter 4 - 1969 - Moonwalk

Margaret Many Moons - Mother of Lydia and Evie - twins
She told a story before she died of a surgeon, Dr. Saduma, who fathered Lydia and Evie.  She told them a lie about who their father was.  Evie was alone when she heard the story.

Chapter 5 - 1964 - Morse Code

Martin Lunsdtrum - N. Dakota Swede
Crystal Thunder - Shunned because her mother had too many boyfriends.  Crystal and Martin fell in love but hid it from their mothers.  Their first sexual encounter was witnessed by a box elder - Crystal knew it was her mother watching them.

Martin has one leg shorter than other.

Crystal gets pregnant.

Anna Thunder says, "A soul for a soul."  She will have a girl and will not join Martin until after the baby is born.  She will keep Crystal's baby when she is born.  When she had sex with young boys, her knee knocked on the wall.  Crystal decoded it and it spelled "grass."

Crystal is 15 years old.  She never knew who her father was.  She finds out it is Clive Broken Rope.  He was depressed by fighting in WW11, knocked her mother down and kicked her making a mark on Crystal's face.  After Crystal's baby is born, they move to Chicago.

Isabel - Martin's mother arrives soon after they arrive and moves in.

Crystal's life becomes one long economics course.  She majored in smorgesboard and minored in patience.

Isabel left notes around the house criticizing her.  "Too much salt."  One night she gave Crystal a miniature egg.  She stole the egg from her dead twin sister's coffin.

Chapter 6 - A Hole in the Sheets - 1961 - Anna Thunder

Jeannette McVay wants to do research on the reservation.  She was kicked out of the sweat lodge and then threw her clothes away.  She came to N. Dakoka to study mythology and the Sioux.  She wanted to get to know Anna Thunder whom she considered to be the real "medicine man."  She had pennies in her shoes.

Anna Thunder agreed because who wouldn't want to be admired, quoted, and chronicled?  Her own daughter, Crystal, ignored her.

Anna buried Calvin in her garden.

Chapter 7 - Honor Song - Lydia Wind Soldier (twin of Evelyn)

Evelyn was born first and was very competitive about being first in everything.

Lydia was coming home late on Valentine's Day and almost ran over Calvin Wind Soldier.  He is in the road covered with snow and looks like a boulder.  She took him home and warmed him up.  He then proposed marriage to her.  Lydia always dreamed of marrying Calvin.  She married him two months later and moved into his shack. 

Calvin was hired as a member of the tribal police force and they moved into a new house.  It was the only L shaped ranch on the reservation.  She worked and gave her mother her paycheck.  She kept dreaming of Anna Thunder.  She confronted the dream so it would stop occurring.

Then Anna stole Lydia's husband, Calvin.  Soon Evelyn was carrying Calvin's child.  After her son Duane is born, Evelyn gave him to Lydia.  She didn't consider him her child.

Lydia took care of him but did not love him.  One night, he got sick and cried for hours.  Lydia became impatient and told Calvin to take him away from her.  He took the child for a ride and they were killed by a drunk driver.  From this point on, Lydia does not speak.

Chapter 8 - Red Moccasins - Anna Thunder - 1935

Dina - Anna Thunder's niece
Chaske - her son
Clifford Blue Kettle - Dina's father.  He is shy.  He loves Anna but is married to Joyce, her cousin.
Anna - married to Emery - killed by a wild horse.  He had consumption and Anna was glad he died the way he did instead of by consumption.
Clifford gave Anna the red beads to make Dina's moccasins.  Chaske developes a bad cold and pain in his chest.  Joyce promises to get the doctor but she doesn't and Caske dies.  When Joyce comes to offer condolences, Anna will not let her in the house.  Anna made Dina beaded moccasins.  She gives the mocassins to Burnadine and tells her to dance.  She danced until she froze to death.

Chapter 9 - Snakes - Red Dress - 1864

A Catholic priest brings religion to the Sioux tribe.  He wants to baptise Red Dress and name her Esther.  She refuses.  She pretends to believe but she really doesn't believe in God.  The priest talks Red Dress into translating his sermon - he wants to "save the tribe."  She translates his words wrong on purpose so he is unsuccessful.  He fails because his stories don't make sense to the tribe. 

Red Dress and her brother, Joseph, travel to Fort Laramie.  She helps Rev. Pike with his church services.  She meets Fanny Brindle, a widow, and they become friends.  The decide to put on a play, McBeth.

Chapter 10 - Swallowing the Birds - 1981

Charlene dreams that tiny black birds tumble soundlessly from Pumpkin's throat.

Mercury Thunder could no longer go upstairs.  She insists Charlene sleep downstairs with her.  When Charlene tries to study, she notices her grandmother tore half of the pages out of her text books.  She thinks, "Grandma has shut me out of the world, she wants to keep me to herself." 

Charlene baked macaroni and cheese for the dance.  Nobody ate it because they were afraid of Mercury Thunder.  Later Charlene saw the dog eating it.  They had thrown it out.  Charlene decided to get even.  She baked her eyelashes in cupcakes and gave them to six boys at school.  They were all immediately in love with her and fought for her affection.  Her plan backfired when they all attacked her.

On Monday morning Charlene asked Jeanette McVay to switch her homeroom.  She wouldn't explain.  Then someone left a newspaper article on Charlene's desk about a couple who had beaded the last supper.  Charlene knew the lady who did it was her mother, Crystal Lundstrum.  She telephones her in Chicago and arranges to meet her.  Her father thinks she died at birth.

Chapter 11 - The Vision Pit - 1982

Harold Small War organized a prison rodeo.  Jeanette McVay's daughter looks like a full-flooded Sioux. 

Eljoe, Frank Pipe's cousin, make his living stealing to order. 

The rodeo began at noon and ended at suppertime.  The contestants were all inmates. 

Lydia Wind Soldier worked on a traditional Dakota dress for several years.  She wore it for the first time to the prison rodeo powpow.  Harley Wind Soldier got drunk and then into his grass-dance costume.  Harley didn't notice his mom in her full regalia until she was right in front of him.  She was ashamed and slapped his face.

The next day Harley went to the sweat lodge to get clean.  Harley Wind Soldier searched for the medicine hole.  He found it and crawled through the tunnel to the other side.