Richard Red Hawk

A short story, likely written to be read aloud to younger children, about a time in pre-reservation days and how the retelling of it inspired the author to carry on the history telling to his own descendants.
The book opens by settng the scene: an elderly grandmother comes to the family's adobe home, sits in her rocker and tells stories, eagerly listened to by all present. When she was very young, she wandered away from their camp and got lost. No one could find her off in the sand dunes. By show more chance, some US soldiers who were surveying the US/Mexico border came across her lying parched and blistered. They take her to their camp to revive her and then take her back to her despairing family. Over time, more soldiers and white people arrive who don't treat the people well. The Quechan's decide to fight back when more soldiers arrive. It was Christmas 1851 when the two sides were arrayed across from each other. Grandmother recognizes one of the soldiers and tells her chief. He and she walk forward alone, are met by the troop's leader, and after questioning confirm he was the one who was so kind to her years ago. The men are accepted as friends. show less