The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences. Written by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this look at one group of Native Americans is appended with a glossary and the complete Cherokee syllabary, originally created by Sequoyah.

A woman ahead of her time, Mary Breydon knew how to get things done. Raised on a Virginia plantation, she learned how to care for livestock, respect her workers, and keep good books. But after her husband is killed, Mary must provide for her young daughter by running a stage coach station on the Cherokee Trail. With the help of an Irish maid and a mysterious stranger, Mary faces challenges that even the men eagerly anticipating her failure would have...

Eleven-year-old Cherokee Zach Feather is going on his first pheasant hunting trip in Oklahoma with his parents, his first ever bird dog (Koda), and his grandfather's shotgun; but when the hunt gets started he discovers that there is a lot more to hunting than he realized and he needs to learn patience--if he survives his encounter with a very annoyed rattlesnake.

Excited to go on his first family hunting trip, twelve-year-old Rodney learns Cherokee traditions, gun safety, and patience.