House of Purple Cedar

House of Purple Cedar by Tingle, Tim. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781935955696.

"The hour has come to speak of troubled times. It is time we spoke of Skullyville." Thus begins Rose Goodes story of her growing up in Indian Territory in pre-statehood Oklahoma. Skullyville, a once-thriving Choctaw community, was destroyed by land-grabbers, culminating in the arson on New Years Eve, 1896, of New Hope Academy for Girls. Twenty Choctaw girls died, but Rose escaped. She is blessed by the presence of her grandmother Pokoni and her grandfather Amafo, both respected elders who understand the old ways. Soon after the fire, the white sheriff beats Amafo in front of the towns people, humiliating him. Instead of asking the Choctaw community to avenge the beating, her grandfather decides to follow the path of forgiveness. And so unwinds this tale of mystery, Indian-style magical realism, and deep wisdom. Its a world where backwoods spiritualism and Bible-thumping Christianity mix with bad guys; a one-legged woman shop-keeper, her oaf of a husband, herbal potions, and shape-shifting panthers rendering justice. Tim Tingle—a scholar of his nations language, culture, and spirituality—tells Roses story of good and evil with understanding and even laugh-out-loud Choctaw humor. Tim Tingle, responding to a scarcity of Choctaw literature, began interviewing tribal elders in the early 90s. His collection Walking the Choctaw Road was the Oklahoma Book of the Year. Tingles childrens book, Crossing Bok Chitto, garnered over twenty state and national awards, including Best Childrens Book from the American Indian Library Association, and was an Editors Choice in the New York Times Book Review.