Dawn Land — Joseph Bruchac

About ten thousand years ago in the northeast, the Abenaki– People of the Dawn Land – created a thriving community in social and ecological balance with nature and with each other. One of the finest sons of the People is Young Hunter, who dedicates himself to becoming a pure hunter. But a shadow is crossing over this place, threatening his beloved homeland, and Young Hunter is called to its defense. The deep-seeing one of his village, Bear Talker, tells him that the change will be brought by beings of great power, with cold hearts and a terrible hunger, and Young Hunter has been chosen to fight them. "This young one will do things for the people," Bear Talker thought. "If he survives...if he survives."     Not knowing what the threat is, Young Hunter embarks, with his faithful dogs, on a journey that will take him to new lands and test his resolve in unforeseen ways. Given a special weapon called the Long Thrower, he must learn the secret of its power by studying with the deep seer Medicine Plant. A woman apart, she is a fine example of the importance of women in Native society.    More than an action-packed saga of a dangerous journey, Dawn Land is a dramatic illumination of the highly developed value system of these pre-contact native people. Its unforgettable story enriches the reader with a greater understanding of the lifeways of native peoples, lifeways that survive to this day because they are built on maintaining balance and harmony with nature.