Soul of the Sacred Earth [Hardcover]

Vella Munn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 2000

Fray Angelico yearns to save the savages from the rulers of New Spain. Morning Butterfly longs for the days of innocence before the Spanish camebut then she would never have met Cougar, the Navajo brave who has shown her that people of two faiths can live in harmony. In the looming destruction of the Hopi he sees the fate of his own people, one he is desperate to avoid.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

For all their differences, the Navajo and Hopi tribes were as one in their fear and hatred of the Spanish invaders. Munn uses both the differences and the similarities between the tribes to tell her story of a Navajo warrior, a Hopi maiden, a cruel Spanish captain who speaks for the Crown, and a priest who speaks directly to God. The result is an involving adventure full of meanness, madness, mayhem, and romance. When Captain Lopez, Fra Angelico, and their small party arrive in what is now Arizona, the Hopi, the People of Peace, bear the brunt of Spanish cruelty, despite Morning Butterfly's attempts to defend her tribe. The Navajo are a little tougher to subdue. Cougar, the young Navajo brave, starts things off when he steals the first Spanish horse. Effectively mixing western and romance (Cougar and Morning Butterfly find each other in the midst of calamity), Munn tells a compelling and tragic tale in which there are no winners. Even Fra Angelico must face the realization that God is no longer returning his calls. Budd Arthur
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Vella Munn knows her subject and draws characters that are believable and interesting".

-- Abilene Reporter-News on Blackfeet Season --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 350 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (May 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312867336
• ISBN-13: 978-0312867331
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,062,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bottom line, Vella Munn is a country hick. Born and raised in Northern California's gold country, she freely roamed the forests--and lived to write about it. She spent a total of 18 months in a city and vows to never do that again. These days she lives in rural Oregon where she happily writes about characters who, like her, love the sound of the wind in the evergreens. She occasionally runs off to the family cabin near Crater Lake where she thinks about writing. Married with two sons and an amazingly handsome grandson, she's owned by two dogs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Permeated by tradition and place, July 1, 2000

By 

Historical Novels Review - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soul of the Sacred Earth (Hardcover)

Except for a brief prelude set in 1599, the events in this book take place during the summer and fall of 1628 in what is now Arizona. The Spanish have come to Oraibi, a Hopi village atop a mesa. Their contingent is small: a captain seeking the fabled riches of the area, a small number of soldiers, and a Franciscan priest intent on saving the savages' souls. Their arrival sets into motion not only a clash of Spanish and Hopi cultures, but also an encounter between Hopi and Navajo traditions. Morning Butterfly is a young Hopi woman who knows some Spanish, and is drafted to serve as translator for the newcomers. Cougar is a Navajo from a nearby settlement who arrives to steal the soldiers' horses. Cougar understands the Hopi language, making communication possible between these two communities. While both the Hopi and the Navajo lament the intrusion of the soldiers and the priest, they react in very different ways. The Hopi are known as the Peaceful Ones. They attempt to live with the invaders, and even, reluctantly, help him to build his church. Fray Angelico believes he may be making headway in converting the Hopi, since some submit to baptism, but it is clear to readers that the baptisms and sermons are not turning them from the own beliefs. The Navajo live as raiders, and are proud of their ability as warriors; their reaction to the Spanish is very different. A sense of tradition and place permeates this book. Words from legends, songs, and chants are woven throughout the story. Readers also learn of the two groups' beliefs through the explanations Morning Butterfly and Cougar give each other about their people. Fray Angelico and the captain represent two very different, but equally disruptive, Western attitudes: one missionary, the other exploitative of the people and land. The land is sacred to both the Hopi and Navajo, and their strong relationships with it become clear in this book. Tony Hillerman's novels have introduced me to the place and some of the beliefs in this book, but the time period is new to me. The book seems very well researched, though not intrusively so. Soul of the Sacred Earth is a compelling read. I was desperate to see the Spanish leave, so that the Hopi and Navajo societies wouldn't be further disrupted, but feared being too hopeful, knowing how history has turned out.

Trudi Jacobson, for the Historical Novels Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great historical fiction, May 27, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Soul of the Sacred Earth (Hardcover)

Early in the seventeenth century, Spaniard Fray Angelico wants to bring the word of God to the natives living throughout the New Mexico Territory. To his shock, the Hopi ignore his plea to save these savages from the devil. Though disappointed by their rejection of his deepest beliefs, Fray tries to protect his "wards" from the greedy rulers of New Spain, especially Captain de Leiva who sees the native wealth as a means of restoring honor to his family name.

Though somewhat successful in defeating the Hopi, de Leiva finds the Navajo willing to battle back, led by Cougar. When Cougar meets the Hopi's Morning Butterfly they fall in love with one another. However, even a foreign invader who destroys everything sacred may not be enough to bind the tribes and unite the star-crossed lovers.

Vella Munn is one of the great writers of historical fiction. Her tales always make the era she writes about seem as if events are unfolding in actual time. Her latest treasure, SOUL OF THE SACRED EARTH, is a superb tale that showcases the Spanish intrusion into the lives of the Hopi and Navajo people. A bit of romance softens the impact of a tale in which tragedy seems to be the only path for all the prime players.