When an English soldier comes to Genesee Town, Squirrel Woman hides Molly in the cornfield. While Molly is saddened by his departure, she continues to build her friendships with Beaver Girl and Little Turtle (later called Turkey Feather). Eventually, Josiah escapes with the help of Shagbark, one of the Seneca elders, while Molly is away helping the women at the sugar camp. Josiah’s presence makes Molly feel happier to live with the Senecas.

The trader’s name is Fallenash he does not have any news about Molly’s family, and although he is kind to her, he refuses to help her escape from Genesee Town.Īnother English captive, Josiah Johnson, is brought to Genesee Town and renamed Running Deer. One day, a white trader visits Genesee Town, and Molly recognizes him from her time in Marsh Creek Hollow. Molly recovers under the care and wisdom of Earth Woman, who teaches Molly about Seneca spirituality and traditional skills. To evade them, Shining Star and Squirrel Woman decide to move Molly to Genesee Town.Īfter the long journey, Molly is ill and exhausted she has lost all hope, as she views life in Genesee Town as the beginning of another captivity. When Molly accompanies the sisters to Fort Duquesne for trading purposes, she meets a group of white people who express concern for her circumstances and wish to keep her. Slowly, she learns the Seneca language and adapts to Seneca culture. Molly is initially overcome with grief and culture shock.

Two Seneca sisters, Squirrel Woman and Shining Star, take Molly from the fort to Seneca Town, where Molly is adopted into their family and given the name “Corn Tassel.” Twelve-year-old Molly and another captive named Davy are separated from the group and taken to Fort Duquesne along the Ohio River. The Jemisons are taken captive and forced to leave their home. The Jemisons’s farming life is interrupted when their home is attacked by a group of “Indians” and French soldiers. The novel begins in the Jemison family home in Marsh Creek Hollow, Pennsylvania, in 1758. This study guide uses the term “Indian” in summary material to follow the term used in the novel elsewhere, it refers to Indigenous people or to the Senecas specifically. The novel uses the term “Indians” to refer to Indigenous Americans.

Indian Captive by Lois Lenski