Status
Available
Local notes
394.264 9 Gre
Collection
Genres
Publication
Charlesbridge (2022), 32 pages
Description
Wampanoag children listen as their grandmother tells them the story about how Weeâchumun (the wise Corn) asked local Native Americans to show the Pilgrims how to grow food to yield a good harvest--Keepunumuk--in 1621.
Awards
Rhode Island Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2024)
American Indians in Children's Literature Best Books (Picture Books — 2023)
New England Book Award (Finalist — 2022)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
32 p.; 11.31 x 8.75 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member littleone1996
“Keepunumuk” is a retelling of the story of the first Thanksgiving. When Quill and Maple ask their grandmother, N8hkumuhs, for a story, she gives them this tale. N8hkumuhs tells a story of Weachumun (Corn) and fellow food and animal spirits banding together to help newcomers to their land. A
“‘Sometimes new people can seem scary,’ Rabbit said. ‘The Creator tells us to help all living things. This is how the world works.’ ‘Yes!’ Duck and Turkey agreed. ‘It’s settled’ said Weaachumun. ‘We will send the First Peoples to help the newcomers.'”
A man named Tisquantum comes to the Pilgrims and teaches them how to grow corn, beans, and squash together. Soon the people are full and prospering. When harvest time comes they hold a special feast of thanksgiving and invite the First Peoples to join them.
“Keepunumuk” was written by a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, the tribe the book is about. The book contains words of the original language, Wopanaak, and states that that language is spoken “in the past and still today”. This reminds readers that Native people are still here. Another plus along the same line is that N8hkumuhs and her grandchildren are painted with a mixture of contemporary and traditional dress.
Unfortunately, despite all the pros for reading it, this book has some glaring cons. To start with, just from a writing perspective, the book sounds a little forced. It sounds choppy and doesn’t flow as well as it might. This could easily be forgiven, but there are greater issues. The writer of “Keepunumuk” herself states that “this book is a new story”, a version of the first Thanksgiving based, not on fact and not on Wampanoag oral tradition, but instead on traditional Wampanoag spiritual belief systems. This means that the book is basically a fictional story written with respect towards Wampanoag spirituality and with a few historical facts sprinkled in.
This writing decision seems a poor choice when dealing with such an important story. Thanksgiving is a debated holiday, for some a very tragic holiday. The author briefly alludes to this when she mentions that, for some, Thanksgiving is a “day of mourning”. But she never really digs in and reveals the problems and controversies surrounding Thanksgiving. This attempt to rewrite history, however well meaning, seems to be not only unwise, but hurtful to the many sufferers who were and are affected by the tragedies surrounding this holiday.
[Content Warning: Throughout the book, Corn [Weeachumun], Beans, and Squash are personified as spirits, as are all the animals. At one point, they send dreams with messages to people. In the afterword of the book the author mentions guardian spirits and then brings up something called a “Spirit Plate”. She suggest that her readers do as the Wampanoags did and, when they eat, make a plate of small amounts of each kind of food and leave it outside for the spirits.]
In summary, I cannot recommend this book. With the rewriting of history and then the spiritual content, I don’t see enough to redeem the reading of it.
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new group of people called “Pilgrims” have come over the sea to live, and they are starving. Weaachumun and her compatriots send the First Peoples to teach the Pilgrims how to live.“‘Sometimes new people can seem scary,’ Rabbit said. ‘The Creator tells us to help all living things. This is how the world works.’ ‘Yes!’ Duck and Turkey agreed. ‘It’s settled’ said Weaachumun. ‘We will send the First Peoples to help the newcomers.'”
A man named Tisquantum comes to the Pilgrims and teaches them how to grow corn, beans, and squash together. Soon the people are full and prospering. When harvest time comes they hold a special feast of thanksgiving and invite the First Peoples to join them.
“Keepunumuk” was written by a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, the tribe the book is about. The book contains words of the original language, Wopanaak, and states that that language is spoken “in the past and still today”. This reminds readers that Native people are still here. Another plus along the same line is that N8hkumuhs and her grandchildren are painted with a mixture of contemporary and traditional dress.
Unfortunately, despite all the pros for reading it, this book has some glaring cons. To start with, just from a writing perspective, the book sounds a little forced. It sounds choppy and doesn’t flow as well as it might. This could easily be forgiven, but there are greater issues. The writer of “Keepunumuk” herself states that “this book is a new story”, a version of the first Thanksgiving based, not on fact and not on Wampanoag oral tradition, but instead on traditional Wampanoag spiritual belief systems. This means that the book is basically a fictional story written with respect towards Wampanoag spirituality and with a few historical facts sprinkled in.
This writing decision seems a poor choice when dealing with such an important story. Thanksgiving is a debated holiday, for some a very tragic holiday. The author briefly alludes to this when she mentions that, for some, Thanksgiving is a “day of mourning”. But she never really digs in and reveals the problems and controversies surrounding Thanksgiving. This attempt to rewrite history, however well meaning, seems to be not only unwise, but hurtful to the many sufferers who were and are affected by the tragedies surrounding this holiday.
[Content Warning: Throughout the book, Corn [Weeachumun], Beans, and Squash are personified as spirits, as are all the animals. At one point, they send dreams with messages to people. In the afterword of the book the author mentions guardian spirits and then brings up something called a “Spirit Plate”. She suggest that her readers do as the Wampanoags did and, when they eat, make a plate of small amounts of each kind of food and leave it outside for the spirits.]
In summary, I cannot recommend this book. With the rewriting of history and then the spiritual content, I don’t see enough to redeem the reading of it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jetangen4571
This story is about the sharing and kindness of those who were well experienced in living on this side of the ocean towards those arriving from far away.
This multicultural view of an event that is recorded in the oral tradition by a people who did not use a written language at that time is for
The illustrations by Garry Meeches Sr., are clear, brilliantly colored and executed, and visually informative.
Every public and school library needs a copy as well as the usual gifting!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Charlesbridge via NetGalley. Thank you!
This multicultural view of an event that is recorded in the oral tradition by a people who did not use a written language at that time is for
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sharing and reading WITH children of all ages and the wordings are good for ESL as well. The names of things in Wampanoag are not any harder to pronounce than words in many Asian or Eastern European (or Finnish!) languages.The illustrations by Garry Meeches Sr., are clear, brilliantly colored and executed, and visually informative.
Every public and school library needs a copy as well as the usual gifting!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Charlesbridge via NetGalley. Thank you!
Show Less
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Pages
32