1300 Moons
by David D. Plain
Trafford Publishing
reviewed by Cynthia Collins

"However, his eyes had dimmed and his body was all but spent. After all he had lived 1300 moons."

An elderly gentleman applies for a four-week position as storyteller at a Toronto museum. He gives his name as Mr. Nanabush and says he was recommended by the Assembly of First Nations. He is hired by a young woman named Karen to tell of legends and traditions of the Ojibwa people. On his first day of his new job, he begins a story of a young boy who grows up to become an Ojibwa chief known as Kioscance, or Young Gull. Each day, the story progresses through the chief's life: the Iroquois War, the coming of the white man, various battles, and his family life. The audiences continue to build, and Karen and her boss are pleased.

Throughout the four weeks, Karen witnesses mysterious events. Shadows of Ojibwa in traditional dress disappear on sight, and a timber wolf appears out of nowhere when Karen and her boss are confronted by would-be robbers. Every time the two try to speak to Mr. Nanabush, they either are detained due to unforeseen meetings or the storyteller vanishes. They go to the Assembly of First Nations office to try to get some answers and discover that they have been in the midst of an Ojibwa prophecy.

The author is a member of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation. He has taken nonfiction stories of his great-great-great grandfather Young Gull, 1640-1748, and introduced them within a surrounding fictional premise. This is not a history book with specific dates of events. It flows back and forth, from present day to the past, without confusing the reader. Although the written text contains punctuation errors and omissions, the author's "storytelling" style provides a clear distinction between dialog and narrative. This would be for anyone who is interested in reading about either First Nations' general history or specific tribes such as Ojibwa, Huron, or Iroquois. ( )