"Dead Water Rites" synopsis, a novel by Monty Joynes

"dead water rites" sysnopsis

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Joseph, the tribal holy man of a small Pueblo tribe, has a vision. The water, which comes naturally from the earth and sky, the priceless compound of elements that forms and supports life, is dying. In the dream, Joseph and his tribal priests were performing a funeral ceremony for a formerly living source of water. What did the dream mean? Was a long sacred spring going dry? Was a holy lake threatened? Did a river or stream cry out in need? Water is not a commodity to traditional Indians. Water is a spiritual element that is life itself. For the Indians of the Southwest, water as rain for their crops of corn, beans, and squash has always meant life. Mountain springs are holy shrines where feathered prayer sticks are placed in supplication. All religious ceremony uses water as a sacramental medium. Water is elemental to how Indians see themselves as human beings.

Booker, formerly known as Winn Conover, a white man who shares the work and vision of the tribe, is chosen to discover the true spiritual nature of the water in order to save it from the intrigues of encroaching land developers. As he faces an ever-increasing threat to his people, their land, and their very way of life, the Anglo struggles to maintain the inner peace he has worked so hard to achieve in his search for meaning amid the indigenous peoples of the American Southwest.

During Booker’s mission to defend tribal water rights, he encounters Cathia, a radical environmental activist, and a romance begins. Sue and Debbie, the reformed Vegas showgirls from the two previous novels, mature in their new lives. The developers plot to use the lure of a casino to undermine tribal water rights and secure the bribed cooperation of the tribal council as the critical vote arrives. Joseph, priest and leader of the tribal traditionals, cannot participate in conflict, so the defense of the water must be spiritually achieved. The climatic solution is both visionary and believable, as it involves all the major Indian characters in the series.

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