Will’s Garden,
the story a Northwest Pacific aboriginal youth on the verge
of manhood,
takes place in the traditional seaside territory of the
Sto:loh nation in British Columbia. Will is about to turn sixteen and is caught up in the
frenzy of preparing for his "Becoming Man"
ceremony with
the help of all members of his family and the community.
The
family home is a beehive of activity as his parents,
cousins, siblings, aunts, uncle and grandparents work to
create hand-made jewelry, clothing and blankets for the
Giveaway. His mother and his aunts, with babies on their
backs, gather in the kitchen to prepare food for the
workers. Visitors drop in to help out.
The
book’s title comes from Will’s beadwork on
ceremonial shawls, complicated, colorful garden scenes,
inspired by his mother’s flowerbed. He and his cousin
Sarah are the family beading artists.
Sarah creates designs and Will fills them in.
Soon
Will is creating designs that rival
Sarah's best, inspired by his mother's garden.
Will
feels the sting of first love when a young
female guest arrives. He has to vacate his room
for
the girl and her mother, sleeping instead in
a
tent in the back yard with his brothers and
male
cousins. The fifteen-year-old visitor,
beautiful and poised, strikes a spark in young Will.
He
plots how he can convince her to wait until
he
turns nineteen, the age when Sto-loh men
are
allowed to marry.
Around preparations for the ceremony, life goes on
normally. Will and his cousins, Thomas and Sarah, catch
the
bus to the off-reserve high school, where the football
jocks bully the Indian students. Will says he has been
hurt
by his teammates in practice more often than
by
opposing player's in real games.
Will
and his sidekick Thomas make friends with a
group of unpopular kids, forming a united front against
the
jock bullies. Homosexuality, friendship, dealing with
bullies and making plans for their futures are
issues that the group has to sort out. They note sadly
that
the kids from the Sto:loh community rarely
finish high school.
The
construction of a daycare, a school and a senior
centre on the reservation has been put on hold by the
government. The tribe sets out to build the centre by
themselves, the men and children taking up hammers,
and
other tools, while women bring food to the site.
To
complicate things, Will falls ill unexpectedly and ends
up
in the hospital battling for his life. In his sick room,
he
assesses his life, his relationships and his duties.
Visiting family members, a kind West Indian
nurse and his blind grandfather help him clarify his future.
The
indomitable strength of the Sto:loh people is
captured through author Lee's storytelling skills.
Their spirituality and strong family values would
ensure their survival over disease, poverty
and
cultural and spiritual oppression.
Will’s Garden
is Lee Maracle's first novel to cross
over
into young adult fiction. She is considered an
authority on Canadian aboriginal cultural. A strong
storyteller, Maracle portrays the issues with empathy,
humour and tenderness. A fun, informative read.
