Warrior Woman: The Exceptional Life Story of Nonhelema, Shawnee Indian Woman Chief

I told Dark Rain that it would be hard to read yet another Shawnee story, because it inevitably ends in tragedy, and I come away depressed. "Ah," she said, "but Warrior Woman ends on an uplifting note." More like bittersweet, I think, after reading the life story of Nonhelema, the Shawnee woman chief and warrior. But the story is irresistible, as all Thom historical fictions are. Action combined with deep emotion, love and peace juxtaposed on a canvas of prejudice and war, all in that fascinating period of American history, the 18th century Old Northwest.Nonhelema was a remarkable woman who gave up everything--her material wealth, the respect of her Shawnee people in the Ohio Valley, and many of her loved ones--all in the name of peace. "Blessed are the peacemakers," she read in white man's bible. The words touched her heart and, like her famous brother Cornstalk, she dedicated her life to being a peacemaker.Warrior Woman follows Nonhelema through her life, delving into her deep faith in Jesus, her love affairs with prominent white men of the frontier, her family dynamics, and her exasperating relationship with Brother Zeisberger, a missionary at Gnadenhutten, the fateful home of the "praying Indians." As a village chief, Nonhelema is responsible for leading her people in their ancient ceremonies. She wants her people to stay together and preserve their ways, yet she also wants to be written in God's Book of Life. Zeisberger torments her, claiming she cannot have both. She must renounce all her so-called heathen ways, or God will never claim her as one of His children.She works as an interpreter for white men at the fort at Point Pleasant, along the Ohio River. Some of her people call her a traitor, and they no longer trust her. Repeatedly she is betrayed by those white men she helps, and repeatedly her beloved family members fall victim to the white man's violence and hatred. Yet not until her life nears an end does she decide to never again help the white Americans do anything. Throughout the book, I want Nonhelema to wake up, to realize the treachery around her, the way white men were using her as a means to their own end. Especially Brother Zeisberger, with his pious, self-righteous platitudes and the way he constantly shames her into compliance. But for much of her life, Nonhelema seems confused. Eventually she ponders, "When war and the Jesus God got mixed up together, nothing much makes sense."Finally, though, she does see the truth about those around her, and she no longer has a need for Zeisberger's approval. I love her best when she goes to him after a near-death experience and, when he complains that her promiscuous ways have taken a toll on her "comely" appearance, she tells him, "My `promiscuity' always made me radiant. What has `ravaged' me is peacemaking." She puts what remains of her mangled hand before the missionary and says, "Our American soldier friends did this when I tried to prevent them killing my uncle. Such have been the

One cannot read this exceptional biographical fiction of the famous grenadier squaw without feeling like one of its characters, Justin Case, who while cowardly crouching in the bushes experiences an epiphany to see the remarkable Nonhelemain battle and hear her voice. That's exactly what happened to me! What a brilliant and courageous and tragic figure she is. Betrayed by the Long Knives. Betrayed by her own. The real gift of this book is the forgotten education we have all missed, no, an IGNORED history that the Thoms now bring to us. Women warriors? Were you ever introduced to a native woman warrior in your history classes? And she lived; she is not invented. She is our provocative American heroine. And she was born right here in Oldtown, Maryland. So beautifully rendered and historically accurate. If the film industry doesn't grab this one, they're crazy!

Like Follow The River I was unable to put this book down....I truly felt as though I were transported back in time...Living in Ohio where so much rich Native history transpired I found the book a treasure trove of information....TWO THUMBS UP!!! Thank you for another good read...

I just finished reading "Warrior Woman". I could not put it down, finally a book about true native life told from a native point of view and about the normally forgotten native woman!! Exceptionable, husband/wife team writting!Reading this book makes me want to revisit these places again and say a prayer of thanks, that there lives & efforts were not in vain. Thank you Jim Thom & Dark Rain for making this book come alive with our heritage, the good and the bad.