Dawnland Voices - by Siobhan Senier (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Hafen has done a great service to the study of American Indian literature by collecting in one book several published and unpublished pieces. . . . A wonderful and enlightening collection."--Choice

Dawnland Voices calls attention to the little-known but extraordinarily rich literary traditions of New England's Native Americans. This pathbreaking anthology includes both classic and contemporary literary works from ten New England indigenous nations: the Abenaki, Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Mohegan, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Schaghticoke, and Wampanoag.

Through literary collaboration and recovery, Siobhan Senier and Native tribal historians and scholars have crafted a unique volume covering a variety of genres and historical periods. From the earliest petroglyphs and petitions to contemporary stories and hip-hop poetry, this volume highlights the diversity and strength of New England Native literary traditions.

Dawnland Voices introduces readers to the compelling and unique literary heritage in New England, banishing the misconception that "real" Indians and their traditions vanished from that region centuries ago.

Review Quotes

"[Dawnland Voices is] a significant contribution to Native American and indigenous studies and to US literature."--S. K. Bernardin, Choice

"Anyone with any interest in American Indian literature or indigenous literature of any kind will treasure this innovative book. Siobhan Senier and her learned contributors show us a New England and an America that have been here all along without most Americans suspecting it."--Robert Dale Parker, author of The Invention of Native American Literature

-- (2/28/2014 12:00:00 AM)

"Dawnland Voices is a collection of writing that is as bright as the morning sun. It's an amazingly comprehensive collection of the literary work of dozens of indigenous authors from an often overlooked part of Native America, the long-embattled Northeast. . . . The reading public needs to be awakened to the continued existence and the cultural heritage of our peoples, as well as the literary excellence of our many authors. No book that I know of does a better job of that than this brilliantly edited anthology."--Joseph Bruchac, author of Our Stories Remember-- (2/28/2014 12:00:00 AM)

"[Dawnland Voices] puts another nail in the coffin of the persistent fantasy that "real" Indians and their traditions have vanished east of the Mississippi."--Joy Porter, Times Literary Supplement

"This is an impressive collection, useful to anyone interested in literature and history, and especially useful for educators who teach anything in regard to New England."--Sharity Bessett, SAIL

About the Author

Siobhan Senier is an associate professor of English and the James H. and Claire Short Hayes Professor in the Humanities at the University of New Hampshire. She is the author of Voices of American Indian Assimilation and Resistance: Helen Hunt Jackson, Sarah Winnemucca, and Victoria Howard and editor of the website Writing of Indigenous New England.