National Network for Equitable Library Service

In the mid-1800s, southern Alberta was dominated by the tribes of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Snake Woman, from the Blackfoot Blood tribe, was born into a life of respect and cooperation with the rhythm of the natural world, a rhythm that seems to be irreparably disrupted by the advance of European traders and settlers. Eleanor, newly transplanted to this promised land with her homesteading parents, was raised on the stories of her uncle, who told of a sky that goes forever and a wind that can blow your memories away. Their ages, cultures, and social rules would divide Snake Woman and Eleanor, but the two share a connection to the sweeping prairie landscape, the “Best West,” that they both love and want to protect. A chance encounter will unite their paths. In a time of disruption and loss, their resilience and determination offer hope that their two peoples, as well as the natural world around them, can survive great change.