3 out of 4 stars
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Spirit Dancer by Cissy Hunt is a Christian historical fiction novel. In the early 1800s, Hannah is a 17-year-old newlywed. Her husband Caswell receives a letter from his uncle inviting them to join him in California. 21-year-old Caswell believes God is calling them to go west and begins making preparations. As they pack up their wagons for the long journey, Hannah is less than enthusiastic about leaving her family, friends, and everything she has ever known. They leave their home in Alabama with several other families to join a wagon train in Independence, Missouri. The dangers of this journey become clear before they even reach Missouri. When the group is caught in a severe spring storm, the livestock stampede and tragedy strikes.
On reaching Independence, they join a wagon train and begin the long journey across the plains. Not long into the months-long trip, Caswell becomes seriously ill. Fearing he may have Typhoid, the leaders of the wagon train make the decision to leave Hannah and Caswell's wagons behind to protect the rest of the train from a possible epidemic. Hannah is left with her sick husband, Alex, the driver of their second wagon, and her friend Lisa, who volunteers to stay behind and help her. Unexpectedly, Painted Hands, a white man raised among Indians, also volunteers to stay. His skills and knowledge prove invaluable. Painted Hands brings them to a local tribe of Native Americans who are able to discover the cause of Caswell's illness and save his life. As they winter with the tribe, it becomes clear that God directed them here for a purpose. It is here that Hannah, now also a new mother, receives the name Spirit Dancer.
I have had a long fascination with stories of the Oregon trail as I grew up only a few miles from Oregon City. Because my paternal grandparents were from Nebraska, where Hannah and Caswell ultimately choose to homestead, this story was very special to me. I loved seeing Hannah's journey of developing a deep trust in God's sovereignty and direction over her and her family's lives. Her experiences on the trail were very realistic and her response to the hardships they faced seemed natural. I also appreciate the author's respect for the knowledge the Native people had. It is rare, especially among Christian writers, to see even good things like medicine held in high esteem when they are part of a different culture.
It is in the context of Native culture that Hannah becomes Spirit Dancer. This is something I don't fully understand and for which I have some reservations. When she dances with the other Native women, her spirit rises up to be with the Great Spirit, which Hannah recognizes as the God of the Bible. I have nothing against worshipping the Lord through dance, but in this story, it seemed like Native beliefs were being mixed in with Christianity. That said, I have no other complaints about this book.
I am giving this book 3 out of 4 stars. It was so well written that I am very disappointed I cannot give it 4 stars. There were just too many little typos such as missing quotation marks or incorrect wording such as “for” when it should have said “far.” I recommend this book to women and girls who enjoy Christian fiction and historical fiction. Because of its historical detail, this book may also be useful to homeschoolers and others who enjoy supplementing their history lessons with stories.
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Spirit Dancer
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