Three Threads Woven

Wenona Black Elk is woven from three threads—Dakota Sioux, Navajo, and white. Her father trades his soul to keep the secret that he has created a child with a white woman. After asking his parents to raise Wenona, Joseph Black Elk is determined to never have anything to do with the baby again.

As a child, a stable family life eludes Wenona. She is shuffled from her Dakota Sioux grandparents’ windswept farm in South Dakota to her great aunt’s ranch on the Navajo desert. Her unstable father drops into her life at rare moments, leaving as quickly as he arrives. But Wenona faces more challenges than trying to figure out where she belongs—she is taunted by other children and called “half-blood.” Her childhood is not easy, and despite all she endures, Wenona becomes a young woman with hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, she finds herself in an ill-fated marriage and soon after, her father unleashes a devastating blow.

Painted against the colorful backdrop of Dakota and Navajo culture, Wenona’s journey carries her from prejudice to self-acceptance, forgiveness and the eventual realization that true family is found in the hidden depths of the heart.

Three Thread Woven, was recently chosen as a 2010 Finalist in the WILLA literary award in the Contemporary Fiction division.