Synopses & Reviews
It is Taqountikeeswush,
the Moon of the Falling Leaves.
The Creator's gifts have been
harvested, dried, and tucked away
in auqunnash [storage bins] in the
bosom of Earth Mother. They will
provide for the People all through the
long, cold months to come, the long,
cold months of Papone. It is time,
now. Time for the People to come
together, together to give thanks.
NICKOMMOH!
Long before the Pilgrims celebrated their first Thanksgiving at Plymouth, the Native Americans of the area celebrated the harvest during a feast called Nickommoh, meaning "give away" or "exchange." The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving was actually more similar to this traditional Native American celebration than to the holiday as we celebrate it today. Jackie French Koller's festive prose poem brings to life the weaving rhythms of this harvest celebration, as the People come together from villages near and far to construct sweat lodges, eat turkey and sweet cakes, play games, and dance and sing beneath the star blanket that Moon Sister has drawn across the sky. Marcia Sewall uses her considerable knowledge of the Narragansett people to portray in striking pictures the ancient patterns of our first purely American holiday.
About the Author
Jackie French Koller is the author of over two dozen books for children and young adults, including A Place to Call Home (Atheneum, 1995) and The Falcon (Atheneum, 1998). She grew up in New England with a deep love of nature and spent much of her time roaming the woods around her various homes. This love of the land led to a sense of kinship with, and a natural curiosity about, New England's earliest inhabitants. Ms. Koller first explored her interest in early New England history through her critically acclaimed novel, The Primrose Way. Now, with the help of the Narragansetts, she has produced Nickommoh! -- a tribute to and celebration of the indomitable spirit of New England's indigenous people. Ms. Koller is currently working on a third book on yet another aspect of our Native American cultural heritage and hopes to do many more.