"I tried to run. My legs were unwilling. They collapsed beneath me as if they were broken sticks. I did not want to sleep, but my eyes closed" (Bruchac, 2002, p. 48).
SUMMARY
Saxso is fourteen when the British soldiers attack his village. It is the year 1759, and war is raging in the northeast between the British and French, with the Abenaki people- Saxso's people- by their side. Without enough warriors to defend their homes, Saxso's village is burned to the ground. Many people are killed, and some including Saxso's mother and sisters, are taken hostage. Now it's up to Saxso, on his own, to track the raiders and bring his family back home...before it's too late.
CURRICULUM TIES
- Abenaki adaptations to the French culture
- Abenaki cultural beliefs and creation stories
- Appreciating Native Americans as dynamic agents of change
- Imagery
- Indian Education for All's Essential Understanding #6
LET'S EXPLORE
As you read The Winter People, you will notice Joseph Bruchac shares many traditional Abenaki stories that teach a lesson. Read an Abenaki legend and interpret the lesson it teaches. Be prepared to share the legend with us before we read the novel as a class.
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