"Why was Red Shoes, the most formidable Choctaw warrior of the eighteenth century, assassinated by his own people? Why does his death haunt Auda Billy, an Oklahoma Choctaw woman, accused in 1991 of murdering Choctaw Chief Redford McAlester? Moving between the known details of Red Shoes' life and the riddle of McAlester's death, this novel traces the history of the Billy women whose destiny it is to solve both murders - with the help of a powerful spirit known as the Shell Shaker."--Jacket.
Contents
Bood sacrifice -- The will to power -- Intek Aliha, the sisterhood -- Choctough -- Prayers for the mother -- Koi Chitto, the bone picker -- Penance -- A road of stars -- Borrowed time -- Funerals by Delores -- Black time -- Suspended animation -- The Nanih Waiya -- Road of darkness -- Heart of the panther -- Absolution -- The shell shaker.