The Winter People

"Most battles are lost," Uncle Pierre had once said to me, as I watched him take his musket apart and put it back together again, "before the fighting ever begins" (p. 85).

SUMMARY

Saxso is fourteen years old when the British Bostoniaks attack his Abenaki village. It's the mid 1700s, and war is raging between the British and the French, with Saxso's people caught in the middle. Without enough warriors to defend their village, Saxso watches as the whole thing is burned to the ground. Many are killed, and some- including Saxso's mother and sisters, are taken hostage. It is up to Saxso to save them, but how will he accomplish this when he is told he must go alone?

MY REACTIONS

I absolutely loved this book! I loved how Bruchac brought the Indian perspective of these horrific, historical events to life. I also enjoyed how he included many original Abenaki legends throughout the novel that helped the reader connect Native beliefs with the events taking place. This novel provided me with an engaging way to enhance my cultural appreciation for the Abenaki people and the hardships they faced throughout the early development of our country. I am confident my students would share a similar experience.

IDEAS TO EXPLORE WITH THIS NOVEL

Last semester, as part of my Education Across Cultures class, I created an Internet scavenger hunt for my students using The Winter People. Here are some of the questions and links that students can explore as they deepen their understanding of the Abenaki culture and engage in the novel.

• INTERNET HUNT QUESTIONS

1. The Winter People is a work of historical fiction. A researcher, named Gordon Day, analyzed the actual events Bruchac incorporated into his story. Explore the following links to identify five facts, verified by Day, that Bruchac included in his story as the Bostoniak attacked the Abenaki village.

Website- http://www.avcnet.org/ne-do-ba/rrr_2.html

2. At the dance hall, the Abenaki people used several kinds of instruments. Explore the following website and summarize three characteristics of the music for native people of the Northeast.

Website- http://www.ohwejagehka.com/songs.htm

3. At the beginning of chapter ten, Saxso mournfully states, “There was no sense of time passing that morning. Perhaps it was because the church was gone. The church had kept the time for us with the ringing of its bell.” Use the following website to identify the time keeping devices others in Saxso’s village may have used during this time period. Support your answer with facts from the site.

Website- http://physics.nist.gov/GenInt/Time/time.html

4. The birchbark canoe was a vital tool for Saxso to use in order to save his family. Joseph Bruchac describes this canoe in great detail- from its appearance to the construction. Analyze the following photo of a birchbark canoe. Then, compare and contrast this canoe to Saxso’s using a Venn Diagram.

Website- http://nativeharvest.com/files/BirchbarkCanoe12.jpg

5. Saxso tells of many ways the Abenaki people used plants. Explain how the Abenaki people might have used the black cohosh plant?

Website- http://www.stevenfoster.com/education/monograph/bkcohosh.html

6. Bruchac does an amazing job of sharing Abenaki stories that teach a lesson. Read one of these Abenaki lessons and interpret the lesson it teaches.

Title of the tale read:

Lesson taught:

Website- http://www.native-languages.org/abenaki-legends.htm

7. Use the following online dictionary to find the meaning of the following words used throughout The Winter People-

epidemic-

concealment-

stealthily-

talisman-

concealed-

Now construct your own sentences using the words!

Website-
http://familyinternet.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=familyinternet&cdn=parenting&tm=4&gps=100_10_1003_599&f=00&su=p284.9.336.ip_&tt=3&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//kids.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/english

8. Judge Joseph Bruchac’s qualifications to write a story like, The Winter People. Do you believe he is highly qualified to write Native American literature? Support your opinion with five specific reasons.

Website- http://www.josephbruchac.com/

9. During the 1600 to 1800’s, Indian populations were decimated by epidemics. Identify five causes and assess how this happened.

Website- http://www.kporterfield.com/aicttw/articles/disease.html

10. Joseph Bruchac includes numerous examples of figurative language throughout his story. Locate one example for each type.

Personification-

Metaphor-

Simile-

Imagery-

Website- http://www.kidskonnect.com/content/view/343/27/

11. Listen to an Abenaki elder speak their language. Describe the emotions you feel as you listen.
Website- http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~abenaki/Wobanaki/index.htm

12. Construct a letter to your favorite character from The Winter People. Use the following website as a guide when filling it out.

Website- http://www.ed.gov/inits/americareads/kids_rwn_letter_text.html

13. Explore the following website that discusses Native Americans as dynamic agents of change. The author mentions, “One of history's most important tasks is to identify myths and misconceptions and correct them.” How do these misconceptions affect your attitude toward your education? How could you take an active role in changing this?

Website- http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/native_voices/nav1.html

14. Click on the following website to read an interview with a traditional Abenaki basket maker, Jesse Larocque. List three new facts you learned about the Abenaki culture through reading this interview.

Website- http://www.abenakination.org/interview.html

15. Visit this extraordinary site that explores the Raid on Deerfield. Which of the five cultures do the Abenaki people belong to? Conclude how this site is relevant to Bruchac’s novel, The Winter People.

Website- http://www.1704.deerfield.history.museum/home.do

16. Explore the following website and choose two new and interesting bits of information you learned about the Abenaki tribe. Explain how Bruchac could have integrated these facts in to his story, The Winter People.

Website- http://www.native-languages.org/abna.htm#language