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.