National Network for Equitable Library Service

The book Hanaway is about resistance and survival. It is about character transformation and cultural confusion. It is about the state of First Nations in total institutions. The author, Edmund Metatawabin, Ten Sunrises to the English, grew up in the natural environment for the first seven years of his life. Life then was full of exploration, laughter and storytelling. It was a quiet lull before the gathering storm. At seven years of age the author was registered at St. Anne's Residential School located in Fort Albany where he was to be incarcerated for eight years. Through the use of legends he brings us the story of the residential school experience as it impacted everybody within the circle. Hanaway awakes from the mists of ancient legends to once again walk the earth and help fulfill the destiny of the Mushkegowuk. This cultural group that occupies the western shores of James Bay in Northern Canada has been in the area longer than ten thousand years. An ancient curse is revived, threatening the existence of the indigenous sector, where the cry of Erase them loudly reverberates in the traditional Nakapayhano Washahebayow lowlands. The warrior of old arrives as a young boy who will walk the trail. Is the personal shield, given by the Elder, sufficient to protect and keep intact the essence of the Sacred Fire? The Sacred Fire that represents the inner soul of the man and family will undergo a severe test to survive. Will Hanaway do honour to the task or is this the end of the legend?