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Women of the Dawn

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Bunny McBride has written a rare and special book - a book that takes you in a heretofore unexamined aspect of Native American culture - the lives of Indian women. "Women of the Dawn" tells the story of four women whose lives span the entire history of contact with European. Yet, it is far more than a well-documented anthroplogical tome. By taking a bit of literary license and mixing it with imagination and historical fact, Ms. McBride has painted a vivid poirtrait of these women's lives that in a way is perhaps a far more true and accurate retelling of their lives than a dry litany of facts. This is a book that will take you to four different times and let you look out at the world through the eyes of four remarkable native American women. A real triumph.

I BOUGHT THIS AS A PRESENT FOR A FRIEND HAVE READ IT AS IT IS ABOUT MY MOTHER. ENJOYED AS HAS ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE READ IT.

Women Of The Dawn, by Bunny McBride, is a story based on historical facts of four Abenaki women, all named Molly. The women were real and McBride gleaned information from hard to find resources about these women and their way of life. Thorough research from countless sources enabled McBride to bring these women to life. Their struggles, their loves, their families are brought in to amazingly touching and memorable stories. The lives of these women cover a period of over 300 years, beginning with the birth of Molly Mathilde around 1665, and ending with the death of Molly Dellis in 1977.

McBride gives us a book rich in historical detail when she describes the way these women lived, their daily chores, their thoughts and their compelling stories. The energy and power that sustained these women helped them survive the devastating changes that affected their way of life. The Abenaki people lived a fairly peaceful life until the invasion of French and then English changed that forever. The wars between the two foreign governments fighting over land that belonged to the Wabanaki Confederation left the People with little to call their own.

Molly Mathilde, 1665 - 1717, was born in the forest of pine and birch on the banks of the Penobscot River. Her birth name was Pidianiske. Her mother was a chieftain's daughter, of the Kennebec River Valley. Her father was from the Maliseet band.

Molly Ockett, 1740 - 1816, was of the Pigwacket tribe of the upper Saco Rover at the southern end of Wabanaki Country. She experienced startling changes to her peoples way of life.

Molly Molasses, 1775 - 1867, was a Penobscot woman in Bangor, Maine. People were mesmerized by her keen dark eyes and feared her powers.

Molly Dellis, 1903 - 1977, was a raven-haired beauty from the Penobscot tribe in Maine. She was the first to delve into research on the lives of the other three women named Molly, whom she called her foremothers. Her own story is very compelling and heart rendering.

The lives of these four women was profoundly interwoven by common threads and ancient beliefs, which Bunny McBride so beautifully has brought together.

Women Of The Dawn is a poignant and compelling story and a valuable resource for anyone wishing to learn more about the history of the Abenaki peoples.
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I enjoyed this book written by an anthropologist who studied the lives of four Wabanaki/ indian women who came into contact with Europeans at different times in history. The book is very descriptive, and easy to read /follow the life stories of these four Wabanaki women, and how their lives were effected by European contact. One woman is a direct line ancestor of mine, this is why I purchased more than one copy of the book, since last fall, to give as gifts to my family members.

This was an assigned book for a class I took for Native American Studies. This is a great collection of stories and a good read. Bunny is an excellent writer and researches her subjects extensively. Her other works are also worth checking out. It is an excellent resource about Wabanaki women.