Synopses & Reviews
People called Old White the "Seeker," a man never long with any people or place. For years he had wandered, leaving a trail of war, wonder, and broken love in his wake. Now he is headed home, called back by visions of chaos, blood, and fire. But there is more to the Seeker than most know. He is a man driven by a secret so terrible it may topple the greatest city in North America. When the far-off Katsinas told Old White it was time to go home, he had no idea that his journey would take him to the head of the Mississippi, where he would encounter the mystical Two Petals--a youngsoul woman obsessed with Spirit Power, who lives life backwards. But before Two Petals can find her way out of the future, Old White must heal the rift in her tortured soul. To do so, he will need the help of Trader, a loner consumed by his own dark past. People of the Weeping Eye is an epic set against the might and majesty of the great Mississippian Chiefdoms. The Gears have breathed new life into North America's forgotten heritage with a sweeping saga that will forever change your appreciation of our country.
Review
"A timely saga of environmental catastrophe. . . . Drawing on their backgrounds in archaeology, the Gears vividly recreate Paleolithic America in this enchanting and instructive novel."--Publishers Weekly on People of the Nightland
About the Author
Kathleen O'Neal Gear is a former state historian and archaeologist for Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska for the U.S. Department of the Interior. She has twice received the federal government's Special Achievement Award for ""outstanding management"" of our nation's cultural heritage. W. Michael Gear holds a master's degree in archaeology and has worked as a professional archaeologist since 1978. He is principal investigator for Wind River Archaeological Consultants. Together they have written the North Americas Forgotten Past series (People of the Longhouse, The Dawn Country, People of the Mist, People of the Wolf, among others); and the Anasazi Mysteries series. The Gears live in Thermopolis, WY.
Reading Group Guide
Questions for Discussion1. In “Makatok” (pages 27-28), readers are told “The present begins in the past…Drop your preoccupations of the moment. Expand your understanding to the universe around you.” How might you interpret these words? Do you think this is good advice to people of any era? Why or why not?
2. How do the three prologues to Chapter One—one contemporary, one abstract and omniscient, and one from the ancient past—create a literary frame that parallels the water and river motifs within the novel? In what other ways do these prologues impact your understanding of the novels themes?
3. How does Old White find Two Petals? What does it mean to be a “Contrary”? What does Two Petals see in her visions throughout the novel as, for her, time moves backwards? How and why does she begin to come to terms with her special Power as the novel progresses?
4. What are the roles of names and naming in Native American tribal life as represented in the novel? How are absent or unknown names critical to the evolution of the story?
5. What is the Power of Trade? How does his great copper discovery change the way Trader is protected and guided by this power? Why does the Power of Trade seem to be waning in the time of the novel? Might the United States be considered an advocate of, or a nation guided by, the Power of Trade? If so, might this Power be seen to be similarly waning in our time? Why or why not?
6. Flying Hawk and his nephew Smoke Shield both committed violent acts against their twins. How do their motivations and subsequent actions reveal the differences between them? Does either character struggle, as Trader does in Chapter 16, with the question: “How do I forgive myself?” Why or why not?
7. In Chapter 19, Heron Wing muses that, “Sometimes the world turns on a decision. Just a word, or a gesture… can lead to the rise and fall of nations. That is the realm of Power, of the balance of harmony.” How is this insight reflected in Heron Wings treatment of Morning Dew? Is this notion the central theme of the novel? Explain your answer.
8. How do events of ceremonial gift-giving serve as a structural frame for the novel? What sporting events also serve to highlight dynamic moments in the novel? What are the similarities between ceremony and sport? When and how can sport, instead of war, settle conflict?
9. Throughout the story, characters acknowledge that, while peace is desirable, war between tribes and nations will happen because it is the way of things. Do you believe this notion? Does such a belief still hold sway today? Why or why not?
10. Good leadership is essential to tribal success in People of the Weeping Eye. Cite examples of good and bad leaders in the novel. What clues can be found in the text to suggest the kind of leader Trader might have been?
11. Who is the Kala Hiki? How has he gained the tools to help Two Petals? How have his path and Traders crossed before their meeting in Rainbow City? With what choice over Traders fate does the Kala Hiki grapple? What metaphoric relationship is forged between the notions of seeking, sight and blindness at this point in the story?
12. How does Traders bet with Born-of-Sun create a crisis for Old White? How does the bet result in Traders deeper understanding of his own path? What does Old White learn from the chunkey game?
13. What does Morning Dew, who experiences a life first of great ascendancy and then of soul-ravaging humiliation, come to learn about character, sacrifice and compassion? What parallels might be found between her evolving sense of self and that of Two Petals? What parallels might be found between the two characters erstwhile teachers, Heron Wing and the Kala Hiki?
14. Is Power simply “the breath that God breathed into this entire marvelous Creation” (p. 24) as Mary Wet Bear explains? Does Power have “no pity” (p. 224) as Whippoorwill tells Paunch? Must there be a balance of Power for things to be right in the world? What sacrifices should individuals be willing to make to achieve such a balance? How might you relate the Native American view of Power to your own modern sense of the mysterious or unexplained?
15. The novel closes with the visions and dreams of Two Petals and Flying Hawk. What fate is Two Petals steeling herself to face? With what choice does Flying Hawk struggle? How does the image of a weeping woman serve to link these two notions? In what other ways might the “weeping eye” of the title be understood in terms of the novels plot and themes?