Silent Words: A Novel

by Ruby Slipperjack

Set in northwestern Ontario in the 1960s, Silent Words tells the story of a young Native boy and his journey of self-discovery Danny's life is a daily struggle for survival He runs away from his violent and abusive home and, on his own, finds his way through a series of Native communities along the CN mainline Various people take the boy in for a time, including a family with other children, an elderly couple, a boy and his father, a young bachelor, and a wise old man Through his travels and encounters, Danny learns about himself and the world he lives in Silent Words offers an intimate view of Native Communities and their being non-judgemental, open and accepting, sharing with others, and respecting elders Danny starts his journey without an understanding of his Native background thus allowing readers to experience and learn with him as he undertakes his quest for self-knowledge The language in this novel is simple and accessible, and yet richly evocative of the flavour of northern Native life Ruby Slipperjack writes with great sensitivity about the people and places she knows, and it is her unique storytelling ability that provides the power and insight in this novel She says, "I have been to all the places I write about I know the smell, feel, and texture of the earth I walk on I belong to it " In this book, she shows a remarkable ability to convey with English words the subtle forms of non-verbal communication, the implied meanings, the silent words, that are an integral part of Native expression

Genres: Indigenous, Canada

250 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1992

About the author

Ruby Slipperjack was born in Whitewater Lake, Ontario, where she was raised on traditional stories and crafts. Slipperjack attended Shingwauk Residential School in Sault Ste. Marie and high school in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She earned her B.A. and B.Ed. from Lakehead University in 1989. Slipperjack is also an accomplished painter. Ruby is from the Fort Hope Indian Band in Ontario. Currently, she is a faculty member in the Department of Indigenous Learning at Lakehead University.

Reviews

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking place in the 60s in Northwestern Ontario, Silent Words is the story of 11-year-old Danny Lynx, an Ojibwe boy who runs away from his abusive step-mother and father, in search of his mother. Along the way, he meets and lives with various Ojibwe people as he travels from place to place by rail, foot, and canoe.

This was such a heartwarming book; I felt engrossed by the relationships Slipperjack weaves between Danny and the various people he meets along his journey. At the beginning of the story, Danny has little connection to Ojibway culture, but through the people he meets, he regains his language skills, and learns to fish, trap, build fires, and make offerings of tobacco at sacred places and in honour of helpers. Through Danny's journey with Ol' Jim by canoe, I was brought back to my trips by canoe with my dad through Quetico and Wabikimi, so I felt especially emotionally connected to that section.

As much as I loved the relationships Danny forms, there were things that made me very uneasy in this book! I don't know if it's just the time period (during which safety for kids was less emphasized in general), or culture, or class (everyone in the book is basically living a subsistence lifestyle - nobody's going hungry but nobody's wealthy in terms of material goods) but from my perspective as a white middle class person raised in the 80s-90s, but there was a disregard for health and safety in this book that I found quite distressing! There are several quite brutal accidents that occur in this book (CONTENT WARNING), none of which seem to make people do things any safer! Although people grieve when these things happens, there seems to be a general acceptance that people just get hurt/die, it's part of life, and you'll see them in spirit form later. This is where I think there's some cultural difference that's just very different from my own perspective. Many of these injuries are preventable. I had to challenge myself to keep an open mind.

I appreciated that Silent Words gave me more perspective on Ojibwe ideas about child raising. I think that it is often these differences between Indigenous and white middle class Western practices that help people (wrongly) justify phenomenon like residential schools, the 60s scoop, or the ongoing large numbers of Indigenous children being put into care. Many of the things Danny experiences constitute child endangerment from a Western perspective, but the point of the story is that he is being taken care of the whole time, because the whole community feels responsible for him. Everyone contributes, and nobody is going to let him go hungry, and they're going to protect him the best they can within the lifestyle they live (ie. there are inherent dangers in navigating lakes and rivers, hunting, living near train tracks, etc.) Taking care of children as a community - taking care of one another and sharing what you have despite many hardships - are touchstones of Ojibwe culture.

What really matters is not so much what you say (fancy words of apology) but what are your actions? The ending was a bit cheesy, but really emphasized this point. I am very much a word person from my cultural and educational background, but I could appreciate the way that actions conveyed things there would never be enough words for within the context of this story.

[Luce Cronin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written book that tells the story of an unwanted young aboriginal boy- a boy who turns out to be loved by many. The last few lines sum up the book beautifully: "You can't escape the silent words of your memory. They grow on you, layer after layer, year after year, documenting you from beginning to end, from the core to the surface. I built my cabins with silent words." One of the best books i have read in a long time.

[briisreads · Rating 1 out of 5]

was that overly-descriptive, AWFUL, dog-decapatation scene REALLY necessary?

[Eden Plater · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

[Sally Woodard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now the third time that I've read this book. I rarely read a book twice.
I love this book. I have told many people that it is my favourite book.
I have read a lot of books in the last two years, and because of that, perhaps it is no longer my favourite, but I do love it.
I love the writing of Ruby Slipperjack and I love the simplicity of her protagonist in this book.
It is a lovely book that I believe shares just a bit of what it could mean to live as an indigenous child in Canada. The good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly.
I will always recommend this book as a good read.

[Clivemichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

descriptive, dark and evocative