From Publishers Weekly
Eight miles long, four miles wide, Grand Island lies off the south shore of Lake Superior, near Munising, Mich. One of its scenic features is the Pictured Rocks, and it is the locale of Hiawatha. Grand Island was once home to a small band of peaceful Chippewa whose decline began during the 1830s when their mainland brethren goaded them to join in fighting the Sioux. Only one islander survived the battle-Little Duck, who became Powers of the Air. Shortly thereafter, the Chippewa abandoned the Island. Graham (The Ghost of the Executed Engineer) offers a fine piece of local history and a vivid account of white encroachment, desecration of natural resources and degradation of the Chippewa-all within the lifetime of Powers of the Air. Graham concludes his story on a positive note: since the mid-1970s, the Chippewa have undergone a resurgence, and Grand Island is now part of the National Forest system. Illustrated. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Midwest Book Review
Off the south shore of Lake Superior lies an island eight miles long and four miles wide, shaped like the palm of a hand. Known as Grand Island, it was once home to a sizable community of Chippewa Indians who lived in harmony with the land and with each other. The tragic demise of the Grand Island Chippewa began more than 200 years ago when their fellow tribesmen from the mainland goaded the peaceful islanders into joining them in a senseless battle with their rival the Sioux. A Face in the Rock tells the fascinating story of the Grand Island Chippewa, presenting a morality play about the plight of populations destroyed by the violence of other cultures. The Chippewa heroes are personified by "Powers of the Air", a young brave who was the sole survivor of the fateful battle with the Sioux. He witnessed the desecration of Grand Island by the fur and logging industries, the Christianization of the tribe, and the near total loss of the Chippewa language, history, and culture. The story ends with happier events of the past two decades, including the protection of Grand Island as part of the National Park System, and the resurgence of Chippewa culture.
Book Description
Eight miles long and four miles wide, Grand Island lies off the south shore of Lake Superior. It was once home to a sizable community of Chippewa Indians who lived in harmony with the land and with each other. Their tragic demise began early in the nineteenth century when their fellow tribesmen from the mainland goaded them into waging war against rival Sioux. The war party was decimated; only one young brave, Powers of the Air, lived to tell the story that celebrated the heroism of his band and formed the basis of the legend that survives today. Distinguished historian Loren R. Graham has spent more than forty years researching and reconstructing the poignant tale of Powers of the Air and his people. A Face in the Rock is an artful melding of human history and natural history; it is a fascinating narrative of the intimate relation between place and people. Powers of the Air lived to witness the desecration of Grand Island by the fur and logging industries, the Christianization of the tribe, and the near total loss of the Chippewa language, history, and culture. Graham charts the plight of the Chippewa as white culture steadily encroaches, forcing the native people off the island and dispersing their community on the mainland. The story ends with happier events of the past two decades, including the protection of Grand Island within the National Forest system, and the resurgence of Chippewa culture.
From the Back Cover
"Loren Graham's steady vision and painstaking research result in a fascinating and poignant story. A Face in the Rock is very true, very touching." (Louise Erdrich, author of The Bingo Palace)
About the Author
Loren R. Graham is a historian of science who holds a joint appointment in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University and the Science, Technology, and Society Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of numerous books including The Ghost of the Executed Engineer (1993).
Face in the Rock: The Tale of a Grand Island Chippewa FROM THE PUBLISHER
Off the south shore of Lake Superior lies an island eight miles long and four miles wide, shaped like the palm of a hand. Known as Grand Island, it was once home to a sizeable community of Chippewa Indians who lived in harmony with the land and with each other. The tragic demise of the Grand Island Chippewa began more than two hundred years ago when their fellow tribesmen from the mainland goaded the peaceful islanders into joining them in a senseless battle with their rival the Sioux. The Chippewa heroes are personified by Powers of the Air, a young brave who was the sole survivor of that fateful battle. He related this event and other Chippewa legends to Henry Schoolcraft, an early ethnographer of Native Americans. Powers of the Air witnessed the desecration of Grand Island by the fur and logging industries, the Christianization of the tribe, and the near total loss of the Chippewa language, history, and culture. The story ends with happier events of the past two decades, including the protection of Grand Island within the National Forest System, and the resurgence of Chippewa culture. In A Face in the Rock, distinguished historian Loren R. Graham tells the fascinating story of the Grand Island Chippewa, and in so doing, presents a morality play about the plight of populations destroyed by the violence of other cultures.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Eight miles long, four miles wide, Grand Island lies off the south shore of Lake Superior, near Munising, Mich. One of its scenic features is the Pictured Rocks, and it is the locale of Hiawatha. Grand Island was once home to a small band of peaceful Chippewa whose decline began during the 1830s when their mainland brethren goaded them to join in fighting the Sioux. Only one islander survived the battle-Little Duck, who became Powers of the Air. Shortly thereafter, the Chippewa abandoned the Island. Graham (The Ghost of the Executed Engineer) offers a fine piece of local history and a vivid account of white encroachment, desecration of natural resources and degradation of the Chippewa-all within the lifetime of Powers of the Air. Graham concludes his story on a positive note: since the mid-1970s, the Chippewa have undergone a resurgence, and Grand Island is now part of the National Forest system. Illustrated. (July)
Island Magazine
Some years ago Loren R. Graham came across old diaries and letters that suddenly changed his family's Lake Superior island cottage from a nature retreat into a place rich with social history. Following his discovery, Graham, a science historian at Harvard and MIT, spent 35 years gathering legends, exploring landmarks, and interviewing old-timers, and the result is his fascinating "imaginative history" of Grand Island's Native American past. A Face in the Rock,/I> retrieves the mostly forgotten story of the Chippewa band that had lived on the 22-square-mile island until the late 1800s. Though they shared traditions with their compatriots on the mainland, it was island living that distinguished these Chippewa from the rest of the tribe. In describing the houses they lived in, the paths they followed, the enemies they encountered, and the heroes they became, Graham has brought to life an admirable community that still has lessons to teach.
Art & Photography
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