How the Eagle Got His White Head

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Heyden, a young Métis boy, asks his grandmother to tell him an
Algonquin legend about the Hummingbird. His grandmother agrees, but in
order to do so she also has to tell him a story about the Eagle.

Once upon a time, the Creator put the Bear in charge of all animals
that walked on land and the Eagle in charge of all creatures in the air.
Then the Creator disappeared and, left on their own, the animals began
to overpopulate and starve. It was decided that the Eagle should seek
out the Creator and ask for help. The Eagle flew away and was gone a
very long time. Eventually, the other animals began to bicker about who
should replace the Eagle as leader of all creatures in the air. Only the
Hummingbird still believed that the Eagle would return and because he
was so persistent in his faith, the other birds and animals agreed to
wait. Eventually, the Eagle did return with the Creator. As a reward,
the Creator gave a white head to the Eagle as a sign of his bravery; to
the Hummingbird the Creator gave a ruby throat as a symbol of his
faithfulness.

It is no accident that both the prose and the illustrations in this
traditional story ring so true. Author Jane Chartrand is of Métis and
Algonquin heritage, and illustrator Zaawaazit Mkwa Tsun is an Algonquin.
Together they have produced an intricate story about faith, bravery, and
caring for others. Recommended.