Powwow Summer

At age 18, River, part Ojibwe and part French, doesn’t know who she is or where she’s going. High school graduation leaves her adrift, uncertain about her future and her past. When her mother announces they are leaving River’s violent stepfather and moving to a reserve with her mother’s new man, River takes off, determined to make her own decisions and find herself somewhere on the road.

When she ends up with her Ojibwe father and grandmother in Winnipeg, River connects with her heritage through the stories of her grandmother, Nokomis, and her father, Eric. At last, River feels like she is getting in touch with her true self. But she also learns firsthand what it means to be an “urban Indian”, including the threat from Indigenous gangs and the inter-generational trauma of the residential school system. When things go horribly wrong at the annual powwow after-party, River must re-examine who she is and what it takes to belong.

In Powwow Summer, Salteaux author Nahanni Shingoose explores the challenge of modern indigenous teen identity and examines how good intentions can lead to bad outcomes. Raven, a teenager at a crossroads, must embrace all parts of her heritage in order to shape her future. River hungers for details of Ojibwe culture, and she picks them up not only from her family but also from community circles and workshops. As a cultural newcomer, however, Raven learns about more than traditional Ojibwe practices, such as birch bark biting and jingle skirts. Shingoose also incorporates traumatic historical experience and the consequences of generations of racist policies.

River’s noki is eager to pass on her stories to her granddaughter but warns she won’t tell the “sad stories” because she doesn’t want to dwell on them. That job is left to Eric, River’s estranged father, who acquaints River with some of the horrors of residential school and the reality of life and death for many indigenous women and girls. As they pass the Red River in Winnipeg, Eric describes the “Drag the Red” movement: “It was started by an old friend of mine, whose sister went missing a long time ago. She wanted to find answers. They search the Red River for clues, since the bodies of so many of our sisters have been disposed of there” (p. 45).

Even though Noki tells cheerful stories, Raven is able to read the underlying oppressive reality of indigenous people who faced restrictions intended to stamp out “Indian” culture. “We couldn’t even leave the reserve without a pass, so we always had to sneak around…One night, some teenage boys snuck out from the next reserve over through the back trails and met up with us. It was so exciting to meet other young people from a different community. When we were small we thought we were the only Natives on the planet!” (p. 49)

Shingoose tells an important story through River who must find a connection with her heritage to feel at peace with herself. It is a traditional quest but also a modern one. River’s unwise and alcohol-fueled Instagram posts get her in trouble with gang-affiliated girls, and she suffers abuse, rejection and ridicule from Indigenous kids, just as she did from white kids when she was back in Ontario. But she needs to embrace all parts of her heritage, the good as well as the bad. River’s eventual maturity allows her to be more open-minded, and her new spirit name, “She Finds Her Way”, reflects her newfound confidence.

The effectiveness of the story is somewhat undermined by awkward, expository dialogue and stilted prose. Excerpts from Raven’s diary add little to the perspective as the main narrative line is already from her point of view.

However, despite these limitations,Powwow Summer is a thoughtful and relevant exploration of identity, complete with authentic cultural details and history. Both indigenous and non-indigenous readers will relate to Raven’s struggle to bring all parts of herself together in a world that often tries to tear them apart.