A Face in the Rock

by Graham, Loren R.; Rorer, Abigail

• ISBN13: 9780520215672
• ISBN10: 0520215672
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-08-01
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

Eight miles long and four miles wide, Grand Island lies off the south shore of Lake Superior. It was once home to a sizable community of Chippewa Indians who lived in harmony with the land and with each other. Their tragic demise began early in the nineteenth century when their fellow tribesmen from the mainland goaded them into waging war against rival Sioux. The war party was decimated; only one young brave, Powers of the Air, lived to tell the story that celebrated the heroism of his band and formed the basis of the legend that survives today. Distinguished historian Loren R. Graham has spent more than forty years researching and reconstructing the poignant tale of Powers of the Air and his people.A Face in the Rockis an artful melding of human history and natural history; it is a fascinating narrative of the intimate relation between place and people. Powers of the Air lived to witness the desecration of Grand Island by the fur and logging industries, the Christianization of the tribe, and the near total loss of the Chippewa language, history, and culture. Graham charts the plight of the Chippewa as white culture steadily encroaches, forcing the native people off the island and dispersing their community on the mainland. The story ends with happier events of the past two decades, including the protection of Grand Island within the National Forest system, and the resurgence of Chippewa culture.

Table of Contents

PROLOGUE	1	(10)
The Idyllic Life	11	(12)
From Peace to War	23	(11)
The Battle of the Cavern	34	(13)
A Song for the Dead	47	(5)
A Partridge for Pearl-Whisper	52	(5)
Hunger	57	(5)
From Culture to Commodities	62	(4)
Spreading the Legend	66	(11)
Creating Hiawatha	77	(5)
Settling the Island	82	(3)
Cunning versus War	85	(4)
Shooting the Totem	89	(3)
Shining the Light	92	(10)
Spreading the Gospel	102	(5)
Returning to Trout Bay	107	(17)
EPILOGUE: DECLINE AND RENEWAL	124	(15)
Sources	139	(10)
Acknowledgments	149	(4)
Index	153