Description

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When twelve-year-old Hannah uncovers an ancient Salish spindle whorlhidden in a cave near her home in Cowichan Bay, she is transported backto a village called Tl'ulpalus, in a time before Europeans had settled in thearea. Through the agency of a trickster raven, Hannah befriends Yisella, a young Salish girl, and is welcomed into village life. Here she discoversthat the spindle whorl is the prize possession of Yisella's mother, Skeepla, a famous spinner and weaver. When Skeepla falls victim to smallpox, Hannah finally begins to open up about the loss of her own mother.Hannah and Yisella are accidentally left behind when the villagers journeyto the mainland, and witness the arrival of Governor James Douglas andnumerous settlers on the Hecate. As the settlers pillage the village forsouvenirs, Hannah and Yisella rescue the spindle whorl and escape intothe forest, pursued by the ship's crew. The darkness of the forest leadsthem back to the cave, and Hannah returns to her own time with agreater understanding of herself and the history of the First Natio.