The Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac

Okwaho and his best friend Tawis live in a small village called Kanata, which is nestled in the hills near Long Creek.  Their little community made up of only fourteen families, a total of fifty people, had left the big village of Onondaga five months earlier. The decision to leave had been the idea of the women who are the heads of the families. They were tired of constant war and waters to live in peace. The leader, the great war chief of Onondaga was Atatarho, also called the Entangled One, whose thoughts were only of making war.

Okwaho's father, Holds the Door Open, and Tawis's uncle, Burnt Hair told Atatarho of their decision to leave. He was angry but allowed them to leave. When their families left, no one came to wish them a safe journey. Except for a young woman, Clouds Forming, who Okwaho and Tawis's best friend. Although the three friends were inseparable, she belonged to Atatarho's Bear Clan and so her family had to stay.

On this warm autumn day, Okwaho and Tawis went to the small stream where they knew there were big trout. They were careful, listening and watching before approaching the open meadow near the stream. While they were watching the stream, they both saw a large brook trout, big enough to provide for both of their families.

To catch the fish, Okwaho slips into the stream and captures the trout with his hands. But while underwater, Okwaho hears the thud of feet on the bank and a shout. Hidden by the tree roots on the bank, Okwaho hears the voices of three men who have captured Tawis and are questioning him. Tawis tells them he is alone but they do not believe him. The warriors also tellTawis that they plan to attack his small village with a large war party and they will then capture his friend.

Okwaho's presence is revealed when a root snaps. Tawis yells for Okwaho to run and he flees with two of the men in pursuit. He quickly realizes that these men are Standing Stone (Oneida) warriors. This does not surprise him because a Standing Stone Village had been raided by Atatarho recently. Okwaho's community knew of it, although none had been involved. Warriors from Onondaga involved in the raid had visited his community and bragged about killing two Oneida warriors as well as the capture of women and boys.

Okwaho escapes and returns to Kanata. Waiting at the entrance into the village stockade were Tawis's uncle, Burnt Hair and Okwaho's father, Holds the Door Open, and his mother, Wolf Woman. Okwaho relates what happened and Wolf Woman sends four men in pursuit of the Oneida men and Tawis. Meanwhile, Okwaho tells Tawis's mother, Bird Flying what happened and how her son saved him from capture.

As the days pass, Okwaho struggles to cope with the loss of his best friend, and his growing anger. Although he tries to distract himself by keeping busy his thoughts are in turmoil. The arrival of a stranger, called Carries, brings a message and more importantly hope to Okwaho and his people.

Discussion

The Peacemaker is a vivid and engaging retelling of the story of the peacemaker that is so important to the culture of the People of the Longhouse. This novel was written by author Joseph Bruchac, who has claimed to be of Abenaki heritage. 

The novel tells the story of how peace came to five Indigenous nations, the Cayuga, the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Seneca and the Mohawk, who resided in the area around the Great Lakes. These five nations were always at war with one another, and there was not only much bloodshed, but torture and kidnapping of women and children. This constant state of war had a profound effect on the peoples of these nations and made the Creator sad. So he sent a man called the Peacemaker to unite these nations in peace. 

Born on the northern shores of Lake Ontario, the Peacemaker was raised by his mother and grandmother and received a message of peace from the Creator in a dream. He began to tell this message, travelling in what appeared to be a stone canoe, starting in the east with the Mohawks. The Mohawks were wary of his message of peace, and they tested him by forcing him over Cohoes Falls. He survived the test and they accepted his message. 

The Peacemaker, while telling the story of how the five nations came to form a peaceful alliance, also focuses on how the constant state of war affected the First Nations people. This is best shown through the young Onondaga narrator, Okwaho who loses his best friend, Tawis in a raid. With the loss of his friend, Okwaho finds himself dreaming of vengeance. Okwaho is a boy who loves to make songs and so he tries to put these thoughts from his head with songs. When he seeks answers from his mother Wolf Woman she tells him how this time of constant warring has come to be. "The minds of our leaders have become twisted. They no longer think first of giving thanks, first of peace. They no longer turn to the clan mothers for guidance. Instead, they think only of power, of making war and striking back at those who strike us. And the Entangled One, Atatarho, is the worst of all." Okwaho tells his mother that "The One Who Grasps the Sky" needs to send another messenger. 

As the days Okwaho finds himself growing angrier and angrier. "Anger at himself as well as at those who took his best friend from him. And as the anger grew, the fact of Atatarho came into his mind. A man so filled with anger that it twisted his body. Was that how he would eventually look?" Okwaho's struggles have not gone unnoticed by Burnt Hair who he feels that "...now Okwaho walks about as if a dark cloud has come to rest around him..."

Okwaho finds himself feeling that no where is safe anymore. He also finds that "...the anger twisting inside made him impatient." especially towards the younger children in his village. Okwaho feels he "..will never be happy again," 

However things begin to change for Okwaho and his people with the arrival of a stranger named Carries, who comes with an important message of peace. Carries tells the village about the arrival five months earlier of a man dressed in white buckskin in a white birchbark canoe to his village which is about a four day walk. The man told them that his name is Skennerahowi, the Peacemaker and that he has come from the creator with a message of peace. Carries explains that even though this man was Wendat they could understand him. Skennerahowi proceeded to tell the village the story of his birth.

When Okwaho hears this story,  he felt "...something deep inside himself, something other than anger. What was it? Hope. That was it. That was what he felt, for the first time in a long time, hope like a small bird just beginning to flutter its wings." Carries also explains how the people of the Flint Stone village near the River of Rapids came to accept Skennerahowi's message of peace. He tells them that his own Flint Stone people as well as the Great Stone People and the Swampy Land People have all come to accept the message of peace and that he will come to this village too.

However, the message of peace that Carries brings, does not diminish the loss that Okwaho feels. "Even if a new dawn of peace did come, it would be too late for those who had been killed or taken away as captives. His uncle, At the Edge of the Sky, would still be dead. His best friend would remain far away, being taught to forget his old life, his former friends, even his name."

Carries sympathizes with Okwaho, telling him that the loss of his twin brother in war led him to take revenge by killing. But revenge did not make him feel better nor resolve his pain. He continues to tell Okwaho more stories about the arrival and message of Skennerahowi. When Skennerahowi first meets Carries and his fellow warriors, Caller and Beaver Tails, he tells them, "First though, let me put out your fire. A fire that is left burning and not properly put out is like anger or revenge. It may end up destroying everything." He is telling Okwaho that the fire of revenge can destroy everything. He goes on to tell the story of the frog and shake, who locked in mortal combat, ate one another. Okwaho realizes the story is not just about the effects of war but also for him. "He had been holding on to the frog. If he did not let go, that anger would eat him. He would either be destroyed or become as twisted as Atatarho." He knows that he has to let go of his anger. "To no longer look back and regret the past, but to look forward." Okwaho wants to follow the Peacemaker's way. Eventually Okwaho learns from the Peacemaker that his friend Tawis is safe and this helps him to aid the Peacemaker in his mission.

The Peacemaker also portrays the power stories have in the lives of Indigenous peoples. Okwaho in particular is enthralled by Carries stories. They bring him hope, quell his anger, and serve as a way to teach about the Creator and the right way to live.

The Peacemaker is an appealing retelling of the formation of the Great League that is marred by the questionable claims of Abenaki heritage by the author. While this claim might be unsubstantiated, the novel is well written and does offer readers a valid version of the peacemaker story. It's also evident that the author has done considerable research through the years, listening to Haudenosaunee elders. It's important to bring these stories to readers. However, artists, whether they be writers, musicians or others should endeavour to be truthful about claims of Indigenous heritage, as false claims diminish the power of these stories.

Book Details:

The Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac

New York: Dial Books For Young Readers   2021
154 pp.

Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson

Canadian musician Robbie Robertson reclaims the story of Hiawatha in this gorgeously illustrated picture book for children.

The story begins with Hiawatha losing his wife and three beautiful daughters when they are murdered by the evil Chief, Tadodaho. As Hiawatha recovers from his wounds, he can think only of revenge. Then one morning as the mist clears off the river waters, Hiawatha sees a man in a hand-carved stone canoe paddling towards him.

The strange person tells him he knows his pain and his loss. He has come to tell him of the "Great Law: Fighting among our people must stop. We must come together as one body, one mind, and one heart. Peace, power, and righteousness shall be the new way."

However, Hiawatha is doubtful as war and fear has always been the way the tribes have ruled. The stranger asks Hiawatha to accompany him to the land of the Mohawk to spread his message of peace. While his voice is soft and he does not speak well, he asks Hiawatha to speak for him. Hiawatha agrees.

Even though the white canoe was made of stone, the two paddled off to Hiawatha's people, the Mohawk. With everyone, the Chief, the Elders and the Clan Mothers gathered around, the Peacemaker placed his hand on Hiawatha's back and Hiawatha was easily able to "speak his words". He tells the Mohawks that "Peace, power, and righteousness shall be the new way...All nations will become one family. Our people shall have one body, one mind, and one heart. This is the message of the Great Law."  

Although the Clan Mothers were in agreement, the War Chief wanted proof that this was true. So the Peacemaker and Hiawatha set off to the other nations, promising to "return with proof that our nations can join together."  And so Hiawatha along with the Peacemaker visited the Cayuga, the Seneca, the Oneida and the Mohawk nations with his message. With representatives from each of the nations, the Peacemaker and Hiawatha paddled to confront the Onondaga chief, Tadodaho. Can they convince Tadodaho to join the four nations and live in peace?

Discussion

Author Robbie Robertson, who is of  Cayuga and Mohawk heritage was often taken by his mother,  to the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario. On one occasion, Robertson listened to a story in a longhouse, the traditional housing of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Nation, told by an elder. It was the story of the Great Peacemaker and Hiawatha. This story made a lasting impression on the young Robertson, who hoped someday to tell stories as this elder did.

Robbie Robertson

In this picture book for readers of all ages, Robertson retells that story accompanied by the magnificent, powerful illustrations of David Shannon. As Robertson indicates in his Author's Note at the back,  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Song of Hiawatha, does not tell the true legend of Hiawatha. It is instead a different story of another Indigenous person. Although Robertson doesn't mention this, it is possible that Longfellow story is based on the Ojibwe stories written down by an Ojibwe-American woman by the name of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft. Her stories, told to her by her mother who was the daughter of an Ojibwe chief, were included in a book, Algic Researches written by her husband Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. Longfellow used the Algic Researches to craft his famous poem.

There are many variations of the legend of Hiawatha and the Great Peacemaker but the essence of the story is that these two worked together to bring peace to the warring Indigenous nations living around the Great Lakes. In addition, one cannot ignore the many spiritual elements to the legend, especially of a loving Creator who wanted his people to live in peace.

Hiawatha and the Great Peacemaker are believed to have lived before the First Contact with European peoples. At this time, the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga and Seneca were constantly at war. There was not only fighting between the tribes, but also within villages and within families. 

The Great Peacemaker, was also known as Deganawida, whose birth was foretold in a dream to his grandmother. He was raised by his mother and grandmother. When he grew to adulthood, he was convinced that he was to bring a message of peace from the Creator to their people. To begin his mission, Deganawida sailed across the lake in a white stone canoe to bring a message of peace to the various tribes. 

There are variations in the legend as to how they met. In Robertson's version, The Great Peacemaker met Hiawatha after the latter had lost his entire family as a result of a raid by the Onondaga chief,  Tadodaho. In other versions, the two meet well after the Great Peacemaker has begun his mission. However, the main storyline is that the Great Peacemaker travelled from nation to nation, spreading the message of peace known as the Great Law of Peace. This law forbade cannibalism, human sacrifice and black magic. Hiawatha and the Great Peacemaker eventually confronted Tadodaho, telling him about the Great Law. Tadodaho was so evil that it manifested itself in his appearance: he was ugly, dirty and had snakes in his hair. Hiawatha and the Great Peacemaker cured Tadodaho of his evil ways and his appearance changed; they combed the snakes out of his hair.

Their weapons of war where thrown into the hole where a large white pine tree had been uprooted and the tree was replanted with an eagle placed on top to watch for any threats to this peace. Today it is recognized that the Five Nations, which became the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy with the addition of the Tuscarora nation in 1722, is the oldest participatory democracy on earth.

Robertson's telling of this remarkable story is beautifully enriched by the colourful illustrations of David Shannon. Shannon's artwork was painted using oils on hot press illustration boards. Included are a Historical Note providing some information about the legend of Hiawatha as well as an Author's Note which explains how Ronnie Robertson came to hear the story of Hiawatha and how it impacted his life.

Hiawatha and the Peacemaker is an excellent picture book to use as a starting point for learning about First Nations people, their culture and their oral tradition. Those who might want to learn more about the Haudenosaunee way of life can visit the Haudenosaunee Confederacy website at https://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/historical-life-as-a-haudenosaunee/.

Image credit: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/books/robbie-robertson-of-the-band-tells-all-in-testimony.html

Book Details:

Hiawatha and The Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson
New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers   2015

Algonquin Spring by Rick Revelle

In Algonquin Spring, Revelle picks up the story six years after the Haudenosaunee raid that saw Mahingan's wife Wabananang captured and most of his warriors massacred. Revelle tells his story alternating between various narrators.

Tall Man

The story opens in what is present day Newfoundland. Tall Man along with his three Beothuk companions are hunting when they encounter men unlike any they've ever seen before. The have red hair and beards and wear bright coloured clothing. Both groups of hunters encounter the same caribou but Tall Man's group is attacked and he and his companion Whale Bone are captured. Tall Man finds he can understand their captors Oysten and Visate. They are put into a large boat with many more red-haired men and forced to row, heading south, far away from the Beothuk's land.

Eight days later, they arrive at the mouth of the present day Vaureal River on Anticosti Island where the group spends days fishing. Tall Man knows they are stocking up for their voyage home, and he tells Whale Bone they must try to escape before the strangers finish this task or they will likely be killed. 

The strangers want to add a bjorn (bear) to their stores and so they take Tall Man and Whale Bone with them into the forest. Opir discovers six warriors busy gutting a bear and the strangers decide to kill them and take the bear. However, all of the strangers are killed because Tall Man and Whale Bone decide to help the native warriors. Whale Bone is killed but Tall Man is taken in by the two native Mi'kmaq warriors, Matues (Porcupine) and E's (Clam) who survived the attack. With them is a small man, Apistanewj whom Tall Man had saved. Their home is in Gespe'g on the coast. Matues and E's tell Tall Man that they were on the island as part of their initiation into manhood and that they have others waiting for them at a camp nearby. 

At this camp, Matues and E's explain to Jilte'g what happened in the forest and introduce Ta's'ji'jg and Nukumi (Grandmother) to Tall Man and Apistanewj. The small party travels in a Mi'kmaq sea canoe from the island to the coast, escaping the Eli'tuat ship with the help of a pod of whales.

On land they journey inland through the forest to the Mi'kmaq winter camp. At the camp, Tall Man creates much interest. E's tells their chief, Gaqtugwan Musigisg about the deadly encounter with the Eli'tuat. An elder Mi'kmaq declares that Tall Man is Glooscap. Tall Man accepts this, wondering what his destiny will be. As the winter ends, the Mi'kmaq are in dire need of food and this leads Gaqtugwan Musigisg to send Glooscap, Apistanewj, E's, Matues, Ta's'ji'jg and Jilte'g to hunt for food.  He believes their village will be safe with only eight warriors as it is too early in the spring for the Haudenosaunee to attack. Unfortunately, the village is attacked and destroyed by a group of Stadacona and Haudenosaunee warriors and Nukumi and ten children are taken captive. Glooscap and his party return to find the village and several women and children who survived because they were away from the camp. Ta's'ji'jg is badly injured when he tries to cut down what he thinks is his father's stuffed skin.  Glooscap decides to track the Haudenosaunee party and to free Nukumi and the women and children. At this time another Mi'kmaq party led by Jigjigi arrives. Although they cannot supply Glooscap with warriors, they agree to take the survivors to the summer camp along the coast. However, one of their warriors, Crazy Crow decides he will accompany Glooscap. As they begin to track the Haudenosaunee, it soon becomes apparent they will be drawn into an epic battle that only one side can win.

Mahingan

Further east, at the same time Tall Man is captured by the Eli'tuat, Mahingan and his family band of nineteen are wintering near a waterfalls. This band includes his little son Anoki, his brother Kag and his wife Kinebigokesi, their twin sons Makwa and Wabek, his brother Mitigomij, his sister Wabisi, the two warrior women Agwaniwon and Kina Odenan and their friend Kanikwe, as well as a Wabanaki family and two young Ouendat (Huron) warriors, Odingwey and Kekek. In February, Mitigomij comes to Mahingan and tells him he has heard and elk in the woods above the falls and he suggests they try to run him down because the meat will help them survive the remainder of the winter. Mahingan agrees and divides their group into two; Mitigomij will take the two Ouendat warriors, the twins and the two warrior women and their friend along with seven aminosh up the escarpment to show them where to begin their quest for the elk. Meanwhile Mahingan and his son Anoki will go to check the fish nets further downstream.

At the river, Mahingan encounters three young Susquehannock warriors attempting to rob the net. He notices that they are emaciated and weak. After hauling in the nets and loading the toboggan with the fish, Mahingan feeds the three warriors who are named, Sischijro, Oneega and Abgarijo. The three who are brothers tell Mahingan that they were captured by the Haudenosaunee, led by Corn Dog. They also tell him of a beautiful, intelligent and fearless Algonquian woman named Wabananang whom Corn Dog has ordered to be left alone as he plans to use her in revenge for an old enemy. Oneega also reveals that  Corn Dog has a close friend who is very tall and is a Mi'kmaq whom they call Winpe. Corn Dog has a huge number of warriors from various tribes, the Abenaki, Delaware, Mahican and Pennacook tribes and that after raiding the Mi'kmaq he plans to attack the Algonquins.

Kanikwe and his group track the elk but are attacked by a group of Haudenosaunee and Hochelagan warriors whom they manage to kill but not without losing Kekek. They are assisted in defending themselves with the help of Mitigomij and his black panther. Mitigomij warns Kanikwe that Corn Dog is up to something. Eventually Kanikwe and Mahingan meet up and tell each other what both have experienced. After this Mahingan decides that they need to determine Corn Dog's exact location so they can plan for his attack. But first his family group must journey to Asinabka (present day Chaudiere Falls) where they will spear sturgeon, walleye and sucker.  On their journey to Asinabka, Mahingan almost loses Anoki who falls into the river; he is saved by Mahingan's wolf, Ishkodewan. However Mahingan begins to feel that he has an important quest to undertake, that of bringing back his wife Wabananang and their daughter. This feeling is reinforced by a dream, and so Mahingan asks for warriors to accompany him once the spring fishing is completed. With seventeen warriors, four women and his son Anoki, Mahingan sets out to reclaim his wife and confront Corn Dog.

Corn Dog

Corn Dog is determined to avenge the death of his friend Panther Scar by Mahingan at the Battle of the Waterfall six years earlier. During the winter he has been raiding along the St. Lawrence, capturing warriors to strengthen his band. His plan is to have the Hochelagan and Stadacona Nation to join him in the spring, first to attack and destroy the Algonquin allies, by crossing the Kamatarwanenneh (the St. Lawrence River) to raid the Mi'kmaq and Wabanaki. This will prevent them from aiding the Algonquin. He will then attack the Bark Eaters, killing Mahingan and his brother Mitigomij. Corn Dog plans to use Mahingan's wife who has been a captive to lure Mahingan into attacking him.

In the spring, Corn dog meets Seven Dogs, the old chief of the Hochelagan Nation to tell him his plan. Seven Dogs agrees but will not attack until June after his people have recovered from the hard winter. Corn Dog returns to his village, Ossernenon to obtain the permission of the Clan Mother to go to war. Corn Dog's Clan Mother of the Turtle Clan sets out to meet with the Clan Mother of the Wolf and Bear Clans to decide on the war chief. Eventually Corn Dog is sent to the Mohawk capital of Tionnontoguen where he is given the antlers of the war chief. He is allowed only one hundred warriors and ten women from the three villages. Contests are arranged to select the warriors and the women. Wabananang and her daughter Pangi Mahingan enter one of these, the gruelling foot race through the forest even though Corn Dog tells her it isn't necessary as she will be travelling with them. However, Wabananang wants her seven-year-old daughter to also qualify because she knows that if she escapes and does not return to the Haudenausee village, her daughter will be adopted into a family and she will never see her again.

Corn Dog and his war party set out, first going to the healing springs at Saratoga and then after a six day journey arrive at the Stadacona village to add warriors. However Corn Dog is furious when he is given only fifteen warriors by the old war chief and when  he learns that the Mi'kmaq are now alerted to the possibility of attacks because the chief allowed some of his warriors to attack them. It is a foreshadowing of things to come as Corn Dog heads into battle against the Algonquin tribe and his enemy Mahingan.

Mahingan and his warriors stumble upon a group of  Mi'kmaq hostages being held by the Stadacona and Haudenosaunee. The same group is also attacked by Glooscap and Crazy Crow. Meanwhile, Wabananang along with her daughter has escaped Corn Dog's war party and is heading towards Mahingan, and the final deadly confrontation between the two arch enemies.

Discussion

Revelle weaves together the three storylines of Mahingan, his arch-enemy Corn Dog, and the Beothuk, Tall Man/Glooscap and his Mi'kmaq friends. Eventually all three of these characters meet in what becomes a consummate battle between deadly rivals. This battle forms the exciting cliffhanger ending to the novel and sets the stage for the final novel in the trilogy.

As with the first novel, Revelle includes considerable detail about the culture of the indigenous peoples of Ontario and Eastern Canada. In this novel the author reveals more about the Mohawk nation, the People of the Flint, to the south of the Great Lakes and introduces readers to the Beothuk who were the aboriginal people of Newfoundland. In Algonquin Spring, readers learn how the Mohawk way of life was quite different from the Algonquins in that they lived in large communities of longhouses protected by wooden stake palisades and planted fields with what were called the three sisters: corn, squash and beans. While the Algonquins made summer and winter camps, the Haudenosaunee tended to remain in an area for a period of time. The Beothuk of Newfoundland are shown to be a peaceful people who keep to themselves and rarely war with other tribes unless forced to.

The author also presents other aspects of indigenous culture including descriptions of the use of natural remedies to heal wounds and other ailments. For example Mahingan mentions how the Mi'kmaq suffer from eye irritation due to being in smoky wikuoms during the winter and how the center of the mountain maple twigs are used as a poultice to relieve the irritation. When the warrior Ta's'ji'jg is severely wounded his wounds are treated with resin and yarrow. "Matues started a fire and heated the resin just enough that Apistanewj could work it over the wounds to seal the skin and halt the bleeding. The resin would be warm when it was applied, soothing the wound while sealing it. The yarrow he had applied before the resin. After sealing the cuts with the pine resin, Apistanewj laid the bark over the lesions. After cutting pieces of leather from our clothing to wrap around the bark, the task was complete." The warrior was then given cedar tea "to help soothe his pain and heal him from the inside."

The incorporation of cultural detail into the story means the Indigenous peoples are portrayed in an authentic way. They are intelligent and caring towards their children, the injured and sick, in harmony with their environment taking what they need, but also brutal and cunning in warfare.  Revelle doesn't shy away from describing the realities of warfare. In a battle with a Hochelagan, the Algonquin warrior Kanikwe narrates what happens; "I became engaged in hand-to-hand struggle with a man at least six-inches taller than myself...I grasped the club that I kept in my waistband, and as my foe made another thrust, I stepped aside and hit him flush in the face. Blood spattered all theway up my arm and I could hear the sound of breaking bone and his gasping for air. The warrior dropped to one knee and I buried my knife into his neck, with only the handle preventing the weapon from going any deeper. He turned and looked at me, spat out some teeth, smiled, and dropped on his side with a gush of air leaving his body. I reached down and cut off the ear nearest to me, putting it into the pouch where I carried the rest of my vanquished opponent's ears..."

Yet not all are like the Algonquin or Mohawk. This is shown through the character of Tall Man from the Beothuk, an Indigenous people who lived in what would eventually be called Newfoundland. Tall Man/Glooscap is horrified at the cruelty of the Haudenosaunee when he returns with the Mi'kmaq to find their village devastated. "After entering the burning remains of the site, I eyed two charred bodies tied to a post in a fire pit, burned beyond recognition. It was everything I could do to hold back a gagging reflex. My people very rarely went to war, and when we did, it was with the Inuit. Neither side in those conflicts ever chose to inflict this kind of cruelty." Torture by fire, running the gauntlet, and the removing of fingers and fingernails are some of the cruelties described in the novel.

Algonquin Spring is populated by many interesting characters, one of the strengths of this novel.  More is revealed about characters from the first novel, in particular Corn Dog and Mahingan's brother, Mitigomiji who is revealed to have special powers that explain why he is able to travel over land quickly. There are several new characters, the most important being Tall Man who is revealed to be Glooscap, an important figure in Mi'kmaq culture. Perhaps the most interesting new character is Crazy Crow whose back story is engaging and who adds considerable interest to the storyline. Revelle also incorporates some aboriginal mysticism into the story with suggestion that Mitigomiji is a shape-shifter and Crazy Crow's talking crow who leads Wabananang to safety.

As with the first novel in the Algonquin Quest series, maps would have been very helpful in placing both the locations of the various tribes and perhaps even documenting their journeys. Revelle also includes an excellent Author's Note that sets up the context for the continuing story of Mahingan and his ongoing conflict with Corn Dog as well as various glossaries for terms in several indigenous languages. It's quite obvious that Revelle has undertaken considerable research for his novel. 

Algonquin Spring presents a fascinating and informative snapshot of life in North America before the arrival of the Europeans and is a fine second novel, with a strong plot - something often lacking in middle novels of a trilogy and a colourful cast of engaging characters.

Book Details:

Algonquin Spring by Rick Revelle
Toronto: Dundurn Press   2015
290 pp.