The Wampum Keeper

Gillian Kajganich is a graduate student in history at Laurentian
University and a reviewer of historical fiction.

Set in 1651 in the Niagara region of Ontario and New York, this work of
historical fiction recounts the trials and tribulations of a Chonnonton
wampum keeper and his family after their community is attacked by an
Iroquois League army. Interwoven with the family’s physical struggle
for survival is the psychological struggle of the Niagara natives to
understand, and come to terms with, the “One God” theology imposed
on many Huron converts by the French Jesuits.

An introduction by the author helps us to understand the historical
basis of the novel, particularly the custom of ritual cannibalism, the
traditional role of the wampum keeper, and the effects of European
contact (particularly with respect to alcohol, disease, and trading) on
Native American culture. Montague describes her fascination with her
historical topic as a “germ” that fuelled her quest to understand.
As readers, we come to share her fascination.