Malian’s Song
Malian’s Song was adapted by author and anthropologist, Marge Bruchac. Here Dr. Bruchac reads the text.
The book, Malian’s Song, is based on an eyewitness Abenaki account of Robert Rogers’ 1759 raid on the Abenaki village of St. Francis. For many years the only information about the raid included in history textbooks was based on Robert Rogers’official report. In 1959 ethnologist Gordon Day recordedElvine Obomsawin Royce telling a very different story of the raid that had been passed down in her family for generations. Here Jeanne Brink, granddaughter of Elvine, reads an English translation of her grandmother’s story
The original 1959 recording, in the Abenaki language, of Elvine Obomsawin Royce telling the story of Rogers’ Raid.
To read along in Gordon Day’s original word-for-word translation, click here
After Robert Rogers and his men destroyed the St. Francis village, Jeanne Brink’s ancestor, Malian Obomsawin, composed a lament still referred to as the “Lonesome Song.” Here Jeanne reads Gordon Day's English translation.
Jeanne Brink describes her feelings on learning that her grandmother was keeper of a narrative passed down through generations of her family
Jeanne Brink explains the significance of her family story and the new information it provides.
Popular culture such as movies and television have often misrepresented Native American culture and history. Here Jeanne Brink talks about her reaction to seeing the depiction of Rogers' Raid in the film, Northwest Passage.
Different cultures have different ways of telling stories. Here Jeanne Brink describes a distinctive Abenaki approach to storytelling
Abenaki culture and values were an important part Elvine Obomsawin Royce’s life. Here her granddaughter, Jeanne Brink, reflects on a characteristic Abenaki practice, “raising by praise.