A Council of Dolls
by Mona Susan Power (Power)
Sissie, Lillian, Cora…three
generations of Native American girls…facing the trauma and fallout from Indian
schools.
Ethel, Mae, Winona…three very
special dolls…who give council and consolation as best they can.
This book is fiction, but the
boarding school experiences described within were reality, as is the fallout
that has affected generations of Native Americans. Some of the events are hard
to read about, including: the loneliness of being separated from family (being
isolated from family members and even those who spoke your language as soon as
you boarded the train — having your personal items stolen and destroyed); the
tragedy of having as guardians people who despised your culture (cutting your
hair, being punished for any instance of using your language); the deprivation
of being separated from the familiar (being fed gruel instead of nourishing
familiar food); and the denial of your worth as a human (constantly being put
down as savage). These hardships were balanced by moments of joy in
friendships, love in family bonds, pride in education, and the triumph of
finding and remaining true to soul mates.
A Council of Dolls serves as a witness to many
strains of thought about growing up Indian in the United States. It is based on
the stories of the author’s family and relatives, as well as her research.
Generational trauma is addressed, but there’s also hope for the future. It’s a
novel about “persistence and Love.” and how healing the generational wounds
mends not only the future but also the past.
The concept of time going forward
and back can be a bit confusing. The first tale is about Sissie who grew up in
the 60s, then we go back to Lillian who came of age in the 30s, and then
finally Cora from the 1900s. It’s like the wooden puzzle that Cora’s father
carved for her: the smallest inner button was the beloved daughter, held in a
band that represented her parents. Another circle represented their close
relations. Another circle stood for their bands, the next the nation complete
and the final circle represent the world and all of its beings. Cora’s father
used it to show how the circle can never be complete without Cora, but Cora
liked to take the smallest piece, her “lonesome self” and surround herself,
layer by layer with protection. Time is not exactly linear in the world of
dolls and young girls. There’s a web of connections between the generations,
while the spirits come to guide them and at the same time, enlist their help.
Love is a thread with no beginning or end, and we, as the dolls, owe our
existence to Love.
“Love Love Love Love Love,” as the
council would say.
Mona Susan Power, is the
award-winning author of four books of fiction, and is an enrolled member of the
Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
(If you enjoy this, you might also
enjoy The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson, Five Little Indians by Michelle Good, Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American
Author, Musician, and Activist by Gina Capaldi, or Buffalo Bird Girl: A Hidatsa Story by S.D. Nelson.)
( official A
Council of Dolls page on the official Mona Susan Power
web site )
Recommended
by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
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