Isolated in the mountains of Mexico, the Huicholes work ``to maintain the balance of nature--to be kind to the earth, and make the earth well.'' But without the white-tailed deer they can ``no longer perform the ceremonial rituals that perpetuated life and rejuvenated nature''; ``The end of the world'' looms as a result of the polluting and plundering of earth's resources. When the National Indigenous Institute offers the Huicholes deer to rebuild the population, the men walk hundreds of miles to Mexico City to claim them. Moon Feather, only 13 but already destined to be a Grand Shaman, is with them. His admiration for the Aztecs hasn't prepared him for the disappointingly crowded, noisy city; but after the difficult trip home (a puma attacks the deer and the trip leader's betrayal is revealed), he begins to sense the Huicholes' purpose in guarding and transmitting their culture and realizes that he wants to complete his education in order to help his people. A timely (since the uprising in Chiapas) and sympathetic first novel, based on a real event. Unfortunately, most readers will find the measured pace and detailed descriptions daunting. (Fiction. 8-12)
