Promises, Vows and Treaties

By: JuliAnne Sisung

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

“Kajika memaangoshens, kaa gwaii?”
The nun gasped. “That heathen language is not allowed at Holy Childhood, Sir! What did you say to them?”
“I told them my name, Sister.” He raised his eyebrows. “But maybe you have a number for me, too. Oh, yes, and I told them I was a mule.”

Jesse and her friends fight to save the Odawa tribe’s children from the sisters of Holy Childhood Indian Boarding School and the Odawa men from prison. The three-story brick building is ominous, a fortress where Indian youth are kept captive, forbidden to speak their own language, their clothing burned, hair hacked off. And more.

Kajika enlists Jesse to hide designated children deep in the woods, and Sister Mary helps the tribe save their offspring and pays a price.

In Promises, Vows and Treaties, you’ll anger at cruelty, and you’ll smile at love. You will curse broken promises, rejoice in kept vows. You’ll wonder about the power and value of an acre of land.