SCPL Teen Blog!

I love historical fiction and Native American culture, so when I saw this book about a Puritan girl who is captured by Mohawk Indians and raised as one of their own, I knew I’d love it. Since most Native American cultures are matriarchal societies, the women make the decisions. The title, The Mourning Wars, comes from a cultural practice of several Native American tribes, where the women’s council decides there has been enough slaughter of their people. When a mourning war is declared, the tribe takes captives from their enemies in order to replace their loved ones. Although this symbolic replacement of dead loved ones seems strange, balance was very important to most Native American tribes. By replacing a departed loved one with someone of the same age and gender, balance is restored to the tribe. Eunice, the protagonist of the novel, is seven years old when she is captured. She is young enough to be very impressionable, and after a few years forgets her English family, along with the English language and culture. In the first half of the book, Eunice struggles internally with whether or not she should fully assimilate into the Mohawk tribe, or hold on to her English heritage. After all, her Mohawk mother and father treat her with more kindness and respect than her Puritan minister father ever did. This novel is well-written and surprisingly historically accurate. I learned so much about Native American beliefs, customs, and their daily way of living. If you love history, or just want to read a good adventure story, then this book is for you!