Summary

An old Indian woman is lying on her death bed, the medicine man had done all he could do and she is surrounded by her family. The woman hears a voice telling her "Get up! They want you over there. Your mother is calling you." She then gets up, leaving her body and begins to walk away from their camp. She continues to walk up a ridge listening to the voice, meanwhile back at the camp her husband and grandchildren realize she has died. Finally she reaches the top and she sees butterflies, birds, antelopes and buffalo. She sees a river and a circle of tipis and then she sees her mother, her father and grandparents along with everyone she had known that had died. Her family that remains alive prepares her body to go back to the earth. They also bring her food for her journey along the Pathway of the Souls. They believe there is no death, simply a change of worlds.

Quotes

"Death seems like the end but it is not. The body goes back to the earth, but the spirit lives forever. We are not left alone; the dead, and the living, and those who will one day be born are part of a great circle."

General Themes

Rituals/Change, multi-cultural

What the Reviewer Liked

I enjoyed the pictures in this book. I also liked the different cultural ideas behind death. This book was unlike many you read -- the idea that the spirit lives on.

Writing Style

Author Qualifications

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Kara is the Gothic root of the word "care."
It means to reach out, to care, to lament, to grieve with.