The Ghost and Lone Warrior, Vol. 2

Crippled in an accident and left behind by his hunting party, Lone Warrior must overcome hunger, cold, pain, and despair to survive. But most terrifying of all his trials is the appearance of a skeleton-ghost arisen from the grave. That Lone Warrior can still remember to express his gratitude to the animal he must kill to survive, and that he does not allow fear to diminish his dignity, makes him an ideal hero.

Children's Literature

This Arapaho Indian legend uses a powerful story and dramatic paintings to illustrate the qualities of an ideal hero. Lone Warrior was the leader of a hunting expedition but was crippled along the way and left behind by the hunting party. He is forced to overcome hunger, cold, loneliness, despair, and the most frightening of all, the appearance of a skeleton-ghost of a past ancestor who had been chief of his tribe. Readers will be surprised when Lone Warrior remembers to express gratitude to the animal he must kill to survive and that he does not allow fear of the skeleton-ghost to diminish his composure. He later learns that he was the only survivor of the hunting expedition and will be the new chief of the tribe. The story provides good insight into the values that the Arapaho felt their leaders must possess.

C.J. Taylor is an internationally acclaimed artist and children’s author of Mohawk heritage. She has traveled extensively throughout North America helping make the rich cultural history of native people accessible to the young. Her paintings are in many private collections across Canada and the US. She is a self-taught artist and storyteller who has organized exhibitions of Native art across North America. She lives near the Kahnawake Reserve outside Montreal.