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North Spirit: Sojourns Among the Cree and Ojibway Paperback – October 1, 2000

by Paulette Jiles (Author)

4.7 13 ratings

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In 1973 Paulette Jiles arrived in Northern Ontario to run a community radio station for the CBC. Romantic notions of primitive life quickly faded in the harsh setting. The first night, her axe bounced off frozen logs, and she would have frozen without a willing husky pup who shared her bed. She relied on helpful neighbors and quickly became a respected member of the community. The reader is treated to warm, humorous vignettes that convey Jiles's reverence for native tradition, myth and storytelling and her affection for unforgettable colleagues and companions.

Print length

291 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Ruminator Books
Publication date

October 1, 2000
Dimensions

6 x 1 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1886913099
ISBN-13

978-1886913097
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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Jiles (Univ. of Texas, San Antonio), a respected poet, has crafted a flowing, evocative personal narrative based on her seven years of work as a journalist in northern Ontario. She describes it as "a book of creative nonfiction" in which some of the events, times, and places have been rearranged for literary purposes but all the incidents are true. Jiles went to the Canadian North in 1974 to help set up an Indian radio station and later worked as a reporter for an Indian newspaper serving the Cree and Ojibway people. Her vignettes of northern life run the gamut from joy to pathos, from hope to tragedy. Jiles is painfully aware that the technologies she is helping to introduce will forever change the traditional way of life. Throughout her travels among the Cree and Ojibway, she seeks out elders-the older, respected members of each small village-to learn more of the traditions and mythology that are rapidly disappearing in the wake of technological progress. Jiles's lilting prose beautifully captures the spirit of the Canadian North and the vibrant though changing life of its native people. Highly recommended.
Elizabeth Salt, Courtright Memorial Lib., Westerville, Ohio
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ruminator Books; First Edition (October 1, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 291 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1886913099
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1886913097
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #532,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #40 in First Nations Canadian History
- #617 in Native American Demographic Studies
- #1,587 in Essays (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 13 ratings

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Nick Carraway

A beautiful, moving, deeply reflective tapestry of memories

Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2024

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I can only second what the other reviewers below have written, and can only add that this a wonderful, deeply moving book that stays with you long afterward. I honestly did not want it to end. I strongly, strongly encourage you to read these other reviews, and stop at nothing to obtain a copy of North Spirit. I came to Jiles' writing, as I'm sure many others did, through News of the World and Simon the Fiddler, but from appreciation of those terrific books, I went back and read her earlier works. They are all wonderful, and North Spirit is a profoundly poetic place to start, to appreciate the genius of this phenomenally talented writer.

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George Lee

This is a wonderful book....

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2000

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This book deserves to be far better known than it is. Though it is specifically about the First Nations peoples of Canada, in the end, it becomes clear that their struggles are everyone's struggles. Most dramatic of all is the story of the Elder who must continue to live in the same house with his unfaithful wife and illegitimate son. The Elder has killed the father of the son, while in a drunken rage. As the years have passed, the son has come to hate the Elder and the wife has too. Yet the Elder has become respected as a wise and reliable voice among his people. Endurance of his plight --his own moral frailty, and the suffering, deserved and undeserved, that it has brought him --has made him into a valued member of the remote village where he lives. The book is chock full of similarly valuable and hard-hitting vignettes and will leave readers of all races in wonder.
As a source for detailed information on many aspects of Ojibwe and Cree culture, it also has a very useful place. The accounts of how perception of constellations varies greatly is especially interesting. "Orion The Hunter", for example, was and is for these northern woods dwellers merely part of a much different and larger picture, that of a canoe with two paddlers. Of course, a wonderful story attaches to the canoe, the paddlers, how they got in the sky and where they are going.
Hats off to Paulette Jiles. Who cares if so few know and appreciate your accomplishment? In the next world, smiling Ojibwe and Cree people will be greeting you all the time and saying, "Hey, good job!"

11 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Great Read!

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2015

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Excellent, fun book that takes you on an enlightened journey of one remarkable woman with a great sence of humor and a true love for adventure. Interesting to learn of different cultures and how their primitive ways survived well into the modern age. I highly recommend this book to the adventurous spirit.

One person found this helpful

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C. Wieneke

A Story You Won't Want To Put Down

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2000

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In North Spirit, Paulette Jiles has this amazing non-patronizing voice, which at the same time is conscious that she is a white person writing about Indian people who are letting her-this often goofy white person-see herself as a white person watching Indian people and being watched by them. You get the picture. The book is never sentimental or dismissive; the book never stumbles. I love the fact that she can poke fun at herself learning to be a white Indian, as seen through the eyes of her Ojibway and Cree friends and co-workers who help her to help herself in the new environment. I recommend this highly.

6 people found this helpful

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Karen Yochim

One of our best writers.

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2014

Verified Purchase

Ms Jiles is a terrific writer. Read all her books.

One person found this helpful

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Linda Linguvic

Love and respect for the native peoples of Canada

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2000

Paulette Jiles, the author, an American from Missouri, went to Toronto with a draft dodger in the 1970s. When the boyfriend dumped her, she stayed on in Canada and got a job in Northern Ontario running a community radio station for the Ojibway Indians. She lived in a log cabin, learned their language, and learned how to survive during the long cold northern winters. Later, she became a reporter on the Indian language newspaper, writing about forest fires, crimes of passion, and serious bush plane accidents.
Throughout, her love and respect for the Indian peoples shine through her writing as she brings legends and traditions to the printed page. Her quirky personality as well as the world around becomes very real, as does her own inner journey.
She is a reporter and describes what she sees. Perhaps that is why not every character she comes into contact with is fully developed. But there are some Indian elders whose stories she captured in just a few short pages.
And her descriptions of the danger and excitement of being dependent on tiny bush planes made me feel her anxieties.
I thank Ms. Jiles for bringing her experiences to the pages of this book and introducing me to these northern native peoples.

18 people found this helpful

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"waterdancing"

Casting a Spell

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2002

Paulette Jiles cast a wonderful spell over me with North Spirit, and when I awoke, I wanted to return to the world of the Cree and Ojibway: a world of simplicity, honesty, humour, community, connectedness, blessed silence. A world that perhaps never was in the white person's world. North Spirit comes at a time when I am shedding as much material wealth as possible. A time when I seek spirit within. A time when I would like to return to elders telling stories of the past, a time of magic. A time I would like to dwell in the northern woods. Paulette Jiles is magic, and she lyrically, poignantly shares her wondrous sojourn amongst the Cree and Obijway with eloquence, humour, compassion, elegance, care. A beautiful read. A keeper. I will visit North Spirit and Paulette again and again. It connects me with what feels right, real, and true.

11 people found this helpful

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julia cauthorn