The Arrow Keeper's Song

Book excerpt: Tom Sandcrane must navigate the narrow path between his Cheyenne heritage and the white man’s world For generations, the Sandcrane men have served their tribe as the keepers of the Sacred Arrows. When the time comes for Seth Sandcrane to pass the responsibility on to his son Tom, he waits with pride for his son to assume his place among the elders of the tribe. But Tom wants nothing to do with Sacred Arrows, ancient traditions, and the mystical heritage of the Cheyenne. It is 1896; the nation is growing, and Tom wants a place in the white man’s world. He takes a job in the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a go-between for the government and the Cheyenne. When bureaucratic treachery forces Tom to become an outlaw, he must flee the land of his birth. As America teeters on the brink of the Spanish-American War, Tom Sandcrane will learn to fight—not with sacred arrows, but with a Colt .38.