Bro. Joshua Seidl, SSP: Brother
Joshua Seidl is a member of the Society of St. Paul in Ohio and a Michigan
native. His work in religious media includes editorial, business and publication.
His efforts concerning the historical and current relationships between
Native American culture and the Churches brought to North America inspired
this book.
About the illustrator: Kathy Johnson: Kathy Johnson, an art teacher, spends
six months of the year in Northern Wisconsin near Lake Superior. The rest
of the year is spent in central Illinois along the Illinois River. Johnson,
renown for her on location landscape paintings, also engages in life drawing
and carvings. “Creating the illustrations for Hawk Dancer,” she says, “has
brought together my own life experiences.” Her interpretations make the
viewer an eyewitness to the phenomena of Northern Wisconsin’s mystery. The
sights, smells, sound and texture of the pristine landscape, waters and
flora are all there in her works. She dipped her brush unto the pallet provided
by Grandfather Great Mystery before touching it to the canvas. It is an
experience to behold the connectedness of all creation through Johnson’s
works.
About the editor, Charles M. Browne: Charles (Meymahongebe) Browne, a life
time resident of Wisconsin’s Lake Superior coastline, is the son and grandson
of the ordained Ministers/Medicine Men who inspired this book. He is also
the paternal uncle of the author, Bro. Joshua. Without Browne’s expertise
and given history, Hawk Dancer probably would not have been published. Charles
and his wife Elaine made essential corrections to assist their author-nephew
who has dyslexia. Browne, a writer and artist in his own rite, presented
many suggestions to clarify the cultural, historical and spiritual incidents
brought out in the book.
Reviews
Inculturation with European Churches and the First People of the Great lakes.
Hawk Dancer, [is] an artistically creative novel that transcends the twentieth century. … The story takes place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, home of the Ojibwe (mistakenly called Chippewa by the French).
The development of the story starts with the introduction of the main protagonist, Richard White as a Metis (Ojibwe/Norwegian) teenager contemplating his heritage and future direction of his life. The protagonist, orphaned at the late age of 17, moves in with an elder relative, Uncle John Bird, in Birch Clump near the Potawatomi Reservation. Richard, who had contemplated priesthood since about the age of 12, starts to question his priestly ideals as he is influenced by the opinions and designs of his uncle to leave the farm to a relative.
… The author weaves the personal stories of the characters, Richard and Job, within a historical context spanning four decades. Through the struggle of World War II, the Native response to defend their country on the European and Pacific fronts, their return to the Reservation, the advent of Martin Luther King and Civil Rights marches, Viet Nam, and the Termination and Relocation Act, the author allows the reader to view the world through their struggle between the Ojibwe and the dominant society’s ways.
The author’s accurate portrayal of historical facts, allows the reader to visualize the happenings of the times, while learning about Ojibwe culture and the inculturation of Christianity with Native spirituality. The inculturation process or blending was not achieved reciprocally, rather Native Americans had to wait until the Native American Religious Freedom Act of 1978 was enacted. This Act allowed Native peoples the right to practice their religions without punitive consequences. …
I would highly recommend this novel to be used as supplementary texts for those studying social cultural studies, history, or anthropology. Through its … portrayal of accounts spanning forty years, the reader can get a visual look at the lives of Native people trying to weave through the intricacies of society in the twentieth century. The reader will experience humor, sadness and tears as they become absorbed in Brother Joshua Seidl’s Hawk Dancer.
Reviewer: Rose Q. D., Ph.D., Cleveland State University | |
