A Summary of The Buffalo Dance

The book, The Buffalo Dance, starts off as one of the main characters, Chanuka, is on his own in the middle of a marshy lake country. Chanuka was a young teenage Indian boy from the well known tribe Ojibway. As he was approaching an island, Chanuka noticed a canoe, or what had been a canoe. Once Chanuka stepped ashore, he found a boy battered and bruised laying on the ground muttering to himself. Chanuka realized this boy was a plains-dwelling Dakota, the worst enemies of the Dakota tribe. At first, Chanuka remembered what a warrior was suppose to do if he had been in an enemy's country. The warrior must not come home empty-handed. Chanuka thought how his chiefs and leaders would be so proud of him for taking home a captive, but he realized how this boy dared to go through the same dangers as himself. So instead of going home with the boy as his captive, Chanuka tended to the boy's needs. The two could not talk to each other, or did either one of them make an effort to communicate. Yet, they did everything else. They fished, ate, and slept together. Only the Dakota, made an effort to communicate. He told Chanuka his name, which is Neosho. Even though Neosho tried to communicate with Chanuka, Chanuka didn't offer any attenition to him.

    After spending five days with one another, they departed. As   Chanuka was heading home, he wondered if his adventures were about to end. As Chanuka was entering his village, he was expecting a punishment for disobeying. Instead of a punishment, Chanuka's chief summoned him into his lodge. He told Chanuka that he thought he could use Chanuka as a spy to go to the Dakota village and see if the Dakota hunters had a good or bad season of hunting. The Ojibway had a good season of hunting. If the Dakota had a poor hunting season, it will be war between the two tribes. If the season was good, there will be no war. It was Chanuka's word that decided if there was war or no war.

    Once Chanuka got to the Dakota tribe, he only had to wait a day for the hunters. When the hunters were coming into the village, Chanuka could tell by the shouts and cheers that the hunt had been a success. Chanuka knew he should bring back some evidence so his chief would be certain that there would be no war. While the Dakotas were having there ceremonial Buffalo Dance, Chanuka knew that would be the time to steal an item. While Chanuka was trying to find the chief's lodge, the Medicine Man himself, with a bunch of young braves, walked down through the lodges to the last of all and to signal for the dance to begin. As the men spread their line out, Chanuka had no where to go but slip from shadow to shadow. Finally, Chanuka found safety under a pile of firewood. Chanuka knew it would be impossible to slip away, but behind him there was Neosho. Neosho didn't have to say anything, but he put the horse's head on top of Chanuka's. The horse was the second part of the Buffalo Dance. Chanuka had seen this dance before a year ago and knew he could do it. Right before Neosho and Chanuka had traded places, Neosho noticed each other's moccasins. Neosho kicked off his beaded ones and switched them with Chanuka's puckered ones. Finally when the horse was suppose to leave the dance, Neosho and Chanuka danced towards the water. Chanuka jumped in and made a soft splash that only one warrior heard. He made his way to the water and noticed an abandoned horsehide.

    When Chanuka returned to his village, he told the news to his chief. The chief asked if Chanuka had really traveled that far. Chanuka presented him with the moccasins. From a lodgepole there swung a pair of moccasins. For many years, these moccasins were a symbolism of the friendship between the two boys who had never spoken aloud to each other.