The Ceremony of Innocence
Author: Jamake Highwater
Setting: North America's northern plains, during the period of Western expansion by white settlers
Protagonist's culture/ethnicity: northern plains aboriginal
The Ceremony of Innocence tells the story of Amana, a northern plains aboriginal who faces many hardships in her struggle to survive after the death of her husband and the loss of her tribe. Whenthe story begins, Amana is a young woman alone in the world, without friends or family. Deserted by her people because they blame her for her husband's death, Amana is left to beg for coins in the white men's trading camps. Weak with hunger and loneliness and barely able to keep herself alive, she meets Amalia, a French-Cree prostitute, whose strength and generosity provide Amana with a home and someone to care for her.
A breach in Amana and Amalia's friendship occurs when Amana falls in love with Jean-Pierre, a charming white trader who eventually abandons her and their unborn child to return to his wife and children in Montreal. Alone once more, Amana and her baby daughter, Jemina, are left to starve on an Indian reservation until Amalia finds them and takes them home with her. Amana and her daughter are given a new start in Fort Benton, where Amana finds a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant.
Although in this new life Amana no longer suffers from lack of food or shelter, she is distraught by the loss of her native identity. Watching Jemina grow up among whites, Amana is saddened that she was not able to teach her daughter the ways of her people. Rejected by the white man's world and ashamed of her heritage, Jemina grows up not understanding who she is or where she belongs. Amana's and her daughter's unhappiness continue when Jemina marries an aboriginal man whose alcoholism leads their family into financial ruin.
After Amalia's death, Amana follows Jemina to the rodeo circuit, where she looks after her grandchildren and tries to teach them about their heritage. Despite her suffering, Amana maintains the hope that the old ways will be reborn with a new generation. She believes her dreams for the future will be realized through Jemina's youngest son, who shares Amana's love for their history. The novel ends with Amana, now an old woman, praying to the sun that her grandson will be returned so that she can teach him about his cultural heritage.