Nwahtin's Journey
A Quest for Self Discovery, Survival and the Power of the Natural World
by V.J. Cabell

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“In the dawning, there was only wilderness and snow. Now, cities stand upon the land the wild birds used to know.” Irene Parikhal Although the spirit of adventure lives deep within us all, thousands of years ago, a young Ojibwe woodcarver named Nwahtin (“of the calm waters”) felt that spirit more strongly than most … driving him from an early age to search for answers to questions no one had even yet thought to ask. After giving himself over to the Painted Waters on an incredible vision quest—followed by a period of mourning for his beloved grandmother (“nokomis”) who dies soon thereafter—he makes the impossible decision to leave behind his family and the riches of his bountiful homeland of the Great Lakes. First by paddle, then on foot, he embarks on an epic journey of exploration, following the setting sun westward into the unknown. It was a journey that would reveal much to him about the world around him, even more about himself, and ultimately lead him to the revered island nation of Haida G’wai’i, off the northwest coast of current-day British Columbia. It is here, among the Haida people, that Nwahtin’s spiritual connection to the natural world, his understanding of the profound teachings and wisdom of his own people, and his evolution into a master woodcarver would one day make him a legend.

www.valcabell.com

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"Absolutely luscious! Your best writing so far."  - Sally Fox, Educator Vermilion Ohio    "It's clear to me that your religion is the natural world and it's very spirit is your voice. Your exceptional ability to observe and communicate nature's bounty, helps us to better understand our First Nations way of life." - Debi Waite, Marketing Executive Unionville Ontario "Nwahtin's wonder at the vastness, variety and beauty of the land, is passed on to the reader who, along with the main character, is overcome by the realization of the majestic features this North American continent offers its inhabitants and its visitors." - Jamie Medcof B.A. M Ed. ATCM (Years teaching 1959-1992) Toronto Ontario

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For seventy years, Author Val Cabell has held a deeply rooted respect for our First Nations People, as well as a fascination with their various cultures—an allurement first inspired during her childhood, which she spent on the north shore of Lake Ontario. This was further nurtured while summering in the various precincts of the Indigenous world, including “The Land Between.” Cabell has taken on many roles over the course of her life. She has been a partner in a successful art business, managed Blink Bonnie Gallery (in Grafton, Ontario), and handled promotion, publicity and sales for James Lumbers Enterprises. She has also played orchestral trombone for over fifty years in a variety of symphonic groups across North America. However, her greatest joys have always been found in being a student, a teacher of children (wherever she has lived), a writer, a mother, and a grandmother. She currently shuttles her time between two cottages: one on Lake Erie, in Northern Ohio, and another on an island in the Georgian Bay. She shares these with her husband, Benjamin D. Cabell IV, and an incredibly smart border collie named Fen. Together, they have five children and six grandchildren (aged three to twenty-one). When she’s not writing books (or letters to her many friends), she enjoys photography, kayaking, swimming, cooking, and the simple act of creating something from nothing … whatever that might be. Other books, including Children’s Books by V. J. Cabell: Moments in Time: The Art of James Lumbers (1995) Spirits of the Shore (2010)

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Contributors

Author

V.J. Cabell

Illustrator

Niousha Izadi

Illustrator

Ann Peters

FriesenPress Editions