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About Peacemaker
Product Description A twelve-year-old Iroquois boy searches for peace in this historical novel based on the creation of the Iroquois Confederacy. Twelve-year-old Okwaho's life has suddenly changed. While he and his best friend are out hunting, his friend is kidnapped by men from a neighboring tribal nation, and Okwaho barely escapes. Everyone in his village fears more raids and killings: The Five Nations of the Iroquois have been at war with one another for far too long, and no one can remember what it was like to live in peace. Okwaho is so angry that he wants to seek revenge for his friend, but before he can retaliate, a visitor with a message of peace comes to him in the woods. The Peacemaker shares his lesson tales—stories that make Okwaho believe that this man can convince the leaders of the five fighting nations to set down their weapons. So many others agree with him. Can all of them come together to form the Iroquois Great League of Peace? From School Library Journal Gr 5 Up—A fictional retelling of the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy). Readers meet Okwaho, a young Onontaka boy who lives in the small village of Kanata. The book, written from Okwaho's perspective, is set during an undefined, pre-contact time of war between tribal nations. The arrival of the Peacemaker is a familiar oral tradition, and the book paints a picture of how the Haudenosaunee was formed by the Peacemaker to create unity. While Bruchac emphasizes the importance of the Indigenous origin of names for locations, tribes, and characters, he unfortunately fails to explain their meanings and significance, which may confuse and hinder some readers. Despite Bruchac's celebrated storytelling abilities on display here, the narrative sometimes meanders. References to how the Peacemaker story is still acknowledged and respected today by modern Haudenosaunee would have imparted a stronger sense of relevance for today's audience. The author's note and acknowledgements credit Haudenosaunee friends who shared their stories with him to help recreate this retelling. VERDICT Purchase where Bruchac's work is popular.—Danielle Burbank, San Juan Coll., Farmington, NM Review Praise for Peacemaker “The included stories allow Bruchac to share much about Iroquioan family life, culture, and worldviews, and should put to rest the numerous errors to be found in Longfellow’s poem, “The Song of Hiawatha.” Told with grace, this will be welcomed in history classes and those look for successful examples of nonviolent anti-bullying strategies.”— Booklist “Bruchac brings a fresh point of view to this briskly told fictionalization of the Iroquois Confederacy’s beginnings.”— Publishers Weekly About the Author Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed children’s book author, poet, novelist, and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. He is the coauthor of the bestselling Keepers of the Earth series with Michael Caduto. Bruchac's poems, articles, and stories have appeared in hundreds of publications from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic and Parabola. He has authored many books for adults and children including Code Talker: A Novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two, Skeleton Man, and The Heart of a Chief. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. chapter one The Hunters “Where did the boy go?” an angry voice asked. “He can’t be far. Grab him as soon as you see him!” The voice that answered was calm but cold. They were, indeed, close to Okwaho’s hiding place in the blackberry tangles. It was not yet the time of the fall rains, when it would be safe to burn away the dried undergrowth. So the half-green bushes on his side of the trail were still thick. Even now, with the midday light of Elder Brother Sun shining brightly down on the land, it was dark within the bushes where he hid. He began to sing—not out loud, but inside his mind. Songs have power. His uncle, At the Edge o
