Tail Feather, the first book in The River Quintet series, is the story of a young Mohawk who leaves his village in the Adirondack Mountains and paddles down what we now know as the Hudson River to the Island of Manhattan. We learn it is the year 1613 when the canoes in his trading mission come upon the Dutch ship of Adriaen Block in the Tappan Zee. Woven into the narrative are Iroquois traditions regarding storytelling, farming and hunting, interactions with the natural world, and long‐distance trading with other tribes. What Tail Feather learns along this journey is more than new places and new people; he learns to rely on himself and to become more confident in his decisions.
As Tail Feather journeys down the length of the river, the narrative includes colorful descriptions of the geographic features that are still recognizable today. Part II of the book is a reference section, NOTES ABOUT THE STORY, which offers a wealth of pertinent to the people, places, historical events, wildlife, and cultures described in the novel.
