Magpie's Blanket
A Novel
In this thoughtful novel Kimberly D. Schmidt brings to life the history of Plains Indian women and the white invasion—an account not solely of violence and bloodshed but also of healing and forgiveness. Magpie’s Blanket begins with the story of a young Southern Cheyenne woman who survived the horrific Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 only to witness a second attack on her people at the Washita Massacre in 1868. Through the memories of three generations of Cheyenne people, the novel recounts the events of the massacres and the century-late reconciliation after the townspeople’s misguided attempt to re-create the "battle" of the Washita with descendants of US soldiers.
Schmidt has blended fact with imagination in order to illustrate more clearly several important events that still influence the Cheyenne people today.'—Story Circle Book Reviews
How enlightening to read the stories of Sand Creek and the Washita from the points of view of the women who survived them; to focus not on the military strategies but the women’s lives and concerns: saving loved ones, courtship, food, moving the tribe, peacemaking, and ultimately strategies for healing. Magpie’s account reveals deep cultural truths of the tribe.
Kimberly D. Schmidt, director of the Washington Community Scholars’ Center and professor of history at Eastern Mennonite University, is the coeditor of Strangers at Home: Amish and Mennonite Women in History.
