Spirit Journey

A short story of 23 pages. When a newspaper reporter sees Indians from Iowa's Meskwaki tribe apparently digging up graves in a pioneer cemetery, he learns things are not what they seem. The Indians are only pretending to dig as a protest against desecration of Indian graves at nearby mounds. The reporter, an Indian himself from Arizona, begins a search for a thousand-year-old artifact stolen from the mounds. When he finds it, he encounters a collector willing to keep what he'd dug up. Several historical facts are noted about Indian burials. The reporter's humor keeps a light touch on the story, which was originally published in the Wapsipinicon Almanac. The cover illustration is by artist Laura Jean.