What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

My mom is ways talking about a book she read as a kid, and i want to find it for her as a present.
It has a female lead, who is a Native American. I think she starts out as an outcast, and then she becomes the/a shaman, and she ends up having an important role (either with her people or the world?) Time period wise i suppose its possible that the book could be from the 60s as well.

Could your mother have been thinking of the The Clan of the Cave Bear perhaps?

She said it sounds similar. The girl was teenaged, and wandering through the desert alone until she meets the people she ends up staying with.

Maybe a bit late, but could it be one of the series by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear? Maybe People of the Fire?

Medicine Man's Daughter by Ann Nolan Clark, maybe? I'm having a hard time finding a detailed plot summary on this one, but this link and this link provide basic overviews if anything sounds familiar?

Thanks! People of the Fire sounds like it might be it. I'm going to send it over to her and see what she says.

Heaven, was "People of the Fire" your mother's book?

Oh, yes it was, thank you!

Glad you found your mom's book, Heaven. Thanks for the confirmation.