Bruchac, Joseph. THE HEART OF A CHIEF. New York: Puffin Books, 1998. ISBN 0060295317.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Chris Nicola is a member of the Penacook Nation, and he is leaving the reservation for the first time to attend the public middle school in town. Before long, Chris finds himself in the middle of two conflicts – one on the reservation where a casino is planned for the island in the heart of the reservation, and one at school where his English group is taking on the controversy over their school mascot, the Chiefs. Chris shows great courage as he expresses his opinions over these two issues while he and his family also deal with his alcoholic father. Through his thoughts and actions, Chris certainly shows that, even at his young age, he has the heart of a chief.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Bruchac’s novel opens with an "Author’s Note," explaining that because of the sensitivity of the issues in the novel (alcoholism, gambling, leadership), he is not using an existing reservation. Instead, he has created one where none exists. While the Penacook Nation is real, there is no reservation in New Hampshire, and in fact, there is currently no state or federally recognized Penacook community. However, the Penacook is a nation that is part of Bruchac’s own Western Abenaki people. Bruchac’s view of “contemporary Indian America” comes from years of working with Native American kids as an insider, and while this particular reservation is fictitious, the Nation is not, and Bruchac has insider knowledge.
This insider view seems to provide the sensitivity toward the issues included in the story, while still portraying the seriousness of each one. But it almost feels as if Bruchac is trying to address every major issue faced by Native Americans in one book – just in case this is the one book students read. From my adult reader’s point of view, it feels as if he’s overdoing it by covering the issues of alcoholism, casino gambling, poverty, mascot names, and prejudice in one story.
The story is filled with Penacook vocabulary which is immediately translated literally into English, and phraseology that is common to the Penacook speakers (i.e. “the sun is two hand high above the hills” p. 74) It is also tightly packed with cultural markers and motifs, including mentioning Indian names which are not to be spoken under certain circumstances, notice by the characters of inaccurate portrayals of Pocahontas in a doll, and other American Indians in novels such as Sign of the Beaver and Indian in the Cupboard, and a reference to problems with the Thanksgiving story. Chris even gives a description of “real” Indians on pp. 23-24. The traditional and spiritual characters of Gluskabe (assistant to the Creator) and the Manogies (“little people” who keep watch over things) are included. Couple the Native American cultural issues with the cultural markers and the book almost overwhelms.
Nonetheless, Chris and the classmates in his group are likeable (and definitely overly mature for their age). The story centers around the issue of the school’s mascot and why "Chiefs" is not an appropriate choice. Readers will be curious how that plot line resolves as many community members inside and outside the Native American community become involved. The kids act with wisdom and intelligence. The plot line dealing with the casino to be built on the reservation provides some tense moments, but resolves quickly and easily (perhaps too easily). A third plot line involving Chris’s interaction with his alcoholic father who is in a rehab facility adds yet another dimension. The subplots slightly weigh down the overall effect of the novel, but are not confusing or difficult to follow.
With all these plots going at once and all the issues Chris must deal with at once, is the story believable? I don’t know. It all seems a bit heavy-handed and like Bruchac has an agenda with this story. However, it is in enjoyable read mostly because of the way he handles the characters, and curiosity about how both the school mascot issue and the casino issue will resolve will keep students reading. It presents a strong portrayal of life for contemporary Native American children growing up in two worlds – that of the reservation and that of the outside – for children who live in both those worlds and those who do not. Because this book is written by an insider, one who is additionally knowledgeable of how children respond, The Heart of a Chief has the potential to provide lots of thoughtful questions and discussion points for readers between 5th and 9th grades.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Publishers Weekly: “Bruchac explores what it means to be Native American in a modern society through the perceptive first-person narrative of 11-year-old Chris Nicola. Chris’s compelling voyage of self-discovery is grounded in everyday events that readers will recognize . . . allowing readers to see into the heart of this burgeoning chief.”
*Children’s Literature: “Bruchac writes with a passion and understanding of life on the reservation and expresses contemporary Native American conflict beautifully through Chris’s words and stories.”
*Booklist: “Bruchac has trouble weaving the three strands into a unified whole: the conflicts emerge quickly and are resolved too easily. What works are Chris' dignified struggle and the honest dialogue, which is never preachy despite the book's overtly political themes. Bruchac perfectly captures a boy's pride in his culture and the pain and anger he feels when his rich identity is mocked by a "tomahawk chop" from a sports fan. Readers who see injustice in their own lives will admire how much Chris accomplishes with a simple message of respect.”
*School Library Journal: “This upbeat narrative does not disguise the harsh realities of reservation life or the social and emotional struggles of Native Americans. Rather, the qualities of leadership emerge in Chris as he taps into his rich cultural past, recognizes his own potential, and stands up for his values.”
5. CONNECTIONS
• Do some research like Chris’s class did; brainstorm controversial topics and research them, preparing a class presentation. Or research Chris’s group’s topic of Native American mascot names. Do you agree with Chris’s group that it is disrespectful?
• Think about the management tools Chris employed as leader of his group (p. 95) – the talking stick and the fact that every member must agree with group decisions. Have small groups try these discussion rules. Many classrooms already utilize the “talking stick” idea, so students may be used to it, but have they ever tried it in a small group? Have them try it and report back their reaction. Are there other "norms" small groups thing are important to employ? What are they and why?
• Discuss the mascot issue. Provide articles about it, examples of schools that have changed their names, etc. Is it possible to “accidentally” offend someone even when you didn’t mean to? What should be done about that?
• Are there inaccuracies in how your own culture is portrayed or perceived by outsiders? How does it make you feel? Is there such a thing as being “too sensitive”?
• Research the topic of casino gambling. There is an American Indian casino very near Dallas, just over the state line in Oklahoma. What are the pros and cons? Do the casinos provide the income the reservations hope for? Are there any serious disadvantages?
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