I Heard the Owl Call My Name

An engrossing fable, told in a sparse almost poetic style, of an outsider in a Kwakiutl village in BC. I couldn't help thinking what we would think of a book written by an American after briefly visiting New Zealand's East Coast in the early '60s, about a sensitive and understanding Pākehā priest who moves there and wins over the local Māori. I have a feeling it would be seen today as HUGELY problematic. I wonder what the Kwakwaka'wakw people of Kingcome think of this book today? That's the review I'd like to read.

There is something compelling about I Heard the Owl Call My Name, by Margaret Craven, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. It is a story with characters and themes that are delicately interwoven, telling a tale in a powerful yet understated manner. I found myself frequently re-reading sentences and paragraphs, not because they were too complex, but because they were so rich with meaning. Craven has written a fairly short novel, but one that I wanted to linger over.

The central character is Mark, a young priest, who does not know he has a fatal illness and a limited life expectancy. He is sent by his bishop, who knows of Mark’s illness (although Mark does not know), to serve a remote congregation of Native American’s show more living along coastal British Columbia. Mark is clearly an outside but he has a certain maturity as he enters into the Native community, getting to know them, and becoming known by them, in gradual increments. It is never forceful and in this way they not only accept him as their priest, but also as their friend, one in whom they feel free to trust with their deepest concerns.

I can’t write more without giving bits of the story away. And I think the reader would rather discover the beauty in this story on their own. I really liked this book and I highly commend it. show less

A lovely little tale, set among an isolated Indian tribe in the Pacific Northwest. Craven writes lyrically, poetically, and draws beautiful pictures of a wilderness that not many of us will ever see, let alone survive in. I did enjoy the setup of the tale - young idealistic vicar goes to stay among the Indians, presumably to guide and teach them, and ends up learning far more from them - but since I generally take exception to the invasion of Western religions into these ancient First People cultures, I squirmed a bit. There is no doubt that the tribe is helped by modern civilization - a "hospital boat" arrives periodically to administer to the sick or aging, and give vaccinations to the children - but it seems an irony that the "help" show more is rather forced upon them. There seems an overall acknowledgment by all authorities involved that the tribe's survival is ultimately doomed, and this aid seems designed to draw out the agony while compelling them to see the light of Christianity if they wish to live.

Aside from this underlying note of dissonance, the story, even as short as it is, manages to develop several key characters and their affect on the vicar, as they learn to understand and trust one another. Definitely worth a read. show less

This short novel, written decades ago, captured me. Ms. Craven evokes the landscape, the rain, and the stark choices facing the First Nations peoples, but her novel about a young priest's journey to a remote village and his efforts to understand and accompany them goes deeper than that. She gets at the challenges facing both the First Nations people and the descendants of the Europeans who tried to displace them. Fortunately, although it is still a struggle, Craven's pessimism now seems misplaced as the different nations work to save their languages, their culture, their independence.

A classic in Canada and a book with a good reputation, but feels like a very dated view on indigenous people and European relations. A dying priest is sent to a remote village to learn some life lessons and to win over the natives, and in that culture clash he partakes of their wisdom in turn. I gather from the positive reviews this is more about the vibes than the rather trite story summary, and maybe it's on me that I couldn't get into it. What I thought would be the point of the book; watching the internal clash of the indigenous people realizing the slow death of their own culture as their children become integrated in European schools and ways, never takes center stage.

This well-known Canadian novel was very popular in the 1970s. Craven writes very beautiful and moving descriptions of a remote BC coastal indian village, the rhythm of the seasons of hunting and fishing, their traditions and legends, and how their way of life was changing in the early 20th century (the story is set around 1912). Mark, a young priest (Anglican or Catholic?) is sent by the bishop to live in the village of Kingcomb, many hours by boat north of Vancouver, and to care for the people in a widespread community. Gradually he adapts to the first nations people and earns their respect and friendship, and comes to love the culture and the land at the edge of the river and the sea. The people are troubled, as their youth go away to show more residential school and some move away to the city, changing forever. I wondered if this book, written in 1973 before the residential schools lawsuits and treaty rights court cases, might be limited by a romanticized vision of the native way of life, and a paternalistic idealized view of the role of the white men, government and the church. However it is not so easily stereotyped and dismissed. The bishop and priests are aware of their society's flaws and their own limitations. The RCMP and other white visitors (including a lady anthropologist and a teacher) are shown to be arrogant and ignorant of the people's needs. The Indians have their own problems including issues with alcohol, sexual abuse and violence, which are not easily solved. The simple life in the village is portrayed as an ideal, while shown at the same time to be fading away, and the people know that their way of life will disappear in one or two more generations. So the tone of the book is both celebratory, loving, and nostalgic and sad. In communion with the natural world, the priest and the people find peace, accept hardships and tragedies with dignity, and prepare for death. There is an interesting harmony and balance between the traditional beliefs and the Christian faith.
Overall, a very good read, with lots to reflect over. show less

Cayman 2024 - #4 - This was one of the random completely unknown books on my vast library shelves that i just grabbed and put in the box to read on our Caribbean vacation. Not even sure what prompted me to acquire it or when. But it was a very genuine, heartfelt story (one i just learned had actually been made into a movie!) of a preacher sent to take over an island parish in upper British Columbia of Indian villages....a seemingly impossible task for a slightly naive and lonely white man. But the captivating descriptions of life in these villages and on the water....and the spiritual traditions and cultural conflicts he grapples with as he tries to make a difference was unbelievably sweet to me.....sparse in a very good way......and show more startling at the end, which is always a plus. Very glad i brought it! Now to find the movie! show less