Daughter of Wolf House

Daughter of Wolf House
Author: Margaret E Bell
Place and Date of publications: USA, 1991
No. of Pages: 80
Setting: During 16th century at Alaskan Haida Village

Characters:
Nakatla – a pretty 16-year-old Alaskan girl who belong from the clan of backward, conservative Wolf House.
Queeaunce – a one-time powerful shaman who ruled the second clan and hates the whites.
Chief Yelthnow – Nakatla’s grandfather and the ruler of the first clan.]
Sahawa – young friend of Nakatla.
Skideen – Sahawa’s half brother.
Gregory Monroe – son of the white trader an whom Naktla fell in love with.

Plot/Climax:
Soon after Queeaunce discovered the love affair of Nakatla and Gregory, he opposed it ad aroused the village people against the Monroe’s. He said the whites only brought trouble and disaster to the village. For this reason, Nakatla and Gregory were pushed to elope and leaved the place.

Brief Summary:
Nakatla is a sixteen-year-old daughter of deceased Captain Rose and an Indian mother, they lived in an Alaskan Haida Village with two different clans. The first clan is the progressive Killer Whale house ruled by Nakatla’s grandfather and the brown minded Chief Yelthnow and the second clan which is backward, conservative Wolf House ruled by the whites. This clan is where Nakatla and her mother belonged.
Later, a white trading family, the Monroe’s, came and put up a trading store in the village, Nakatla fell in love with the young, handsome traders son, Gregory which soon discovered by Queeaunce. Even though, that he grown old but still formerly a powerful Shaman, aroused the village people against the Monroe’s. He accused them that they are the one brought trouble and disaster into the village.
He also opposed the young couple’s love affair. Skideen, half-brother of Nakatla’s best friend Shawa, also hated the Indian Maiden for liking the Monroe’s and working for them as Salesgirl in their trading store. But according to first clan ruler, Chief Yelthnow the coming of the whites meant better life for the Alaskan villagers.
It was Chief mother, Yelthnow’s wife who encouraged Nakatla to elope with Gregory. The tow young couples left the village, underwent difficulties and embarrassment before they finally found a happy and baldly faced the future before them together.

Moral Lesson:
Personal and cultural differences are not a hindrance for two people who are both in love with each other. Destiny is not a matter of chance but a matter of choice.

Reaction:
The novel shows the rugged beauty of n Alaskan village dominated by the totems of two clans. The Wolf and the Killer Whale but this is primarily the love story of Nakatla and the trader’s son, Gregory. The strength of their love surmounted prejudices on both sides. They were willing to face the future and make both Indian and Whites find nothing wrong in mixed marriages.