The Grass Dancer

The Grass Dancer (1994) is the debut novel by Susan Power, an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. This young adult novel is part of the magical realism genre. Using a nonlinear structure and overlapping narratives, Power slowly pieces together a story that links generations of Sioux families together in a complex and powerful way. The following material was gathered using a first edition copy of the text.

Plot Summary

The Prologue begins with Harley Wind Soldier’s dreams. He sees his father, Calvin, and brother, Duane. They only ever meet in dreams because Calvin and Duane died after being hit by a drunk driver before Harley was born.

In 1981, Harley’s Sioux community and other groups of Indigenous people are preparing for a powwow. Harley and his friends, Frank Pipe and Charlene Thunder, help set up the event under the supervision of the watchful elders. On the first day of the powwow, the group is joined by attendees from the surrounding area. Pumpkin is one such person, a young Menominee girl from Chicago with red-gold hair and a promising future.

Pumpkin draws attention from all at the event, not just for her striking appearance but also for her talent.