I Heard the Owl Call My Name - Book Review

In the book "I Heard the Owl Call My Name", Mark Brian, a young vicar, is sent to live among the Tsawataineuk people so that he might bring all the necessities of his Christian religion to a people who needed it most. Little did he know his world would be turned upside down. Throughout the story Mark Brian gains a new understanding of the person he truly is on the inside. He also learns that harmony can exist between two different worlds of belief. This book is an enlightening example of two different religious cultures which contain different practices both still met the basic human existential needs.

Mark Brian goes to the coast of the Pacific Northwest to be a replacement vicar for the Indian villages and logging communities in the area. He was told that it would be a tough assignment and that he would need to learn much to accomplish his tasks. He didn't understand why he was chosen to live in such remote locations but he followed orders and began wondering how he could help the "Natives". He did not expect for the roles to be reversed however. Mark begins to look deep inside his self when his total emersion into the Natives cultures begins. He begins to wonder why he has found such an enjoyable and fulfilling life when there was so little. How could he, an educated young man, be so content in living a life of purely basic needs? Mark sees that his life will never be the same and he doubts he can ever go back to living a "normal" life. The Natives also begin looking to who they are. Many of their young are going to the "new" way of life and forgetting the old ways. Many of the older natives look to their dying ways and realize they will soon be living in a world that knows nothing of them. Primitive religions such as the native's religious beliefs begin to crumble when the "outside world" starts to interact with it. This book shows the inner turmoil's of the Natives when such cultural changes happen.

There is a cultural harmony between the Natives and Mark Brian. There are several instances where Mark is not involved in the native rituals but still shows respect for them. The Natives show this same respect in return by coming to services and practicing many of Mark's beliefs. Respect between the two cultures seems to be key to the harmonious relationship they share. It is unclear in the book whether the Natives truly believe in the Christian religious beliefs taught to them or if they are just showing respect for the person directing them. It seems to be a little bit of both. They listen to Mark's sermons and beliefs because they respect him. Mark lived like the natives lived and worked with them through the worst situations. He became one of the Natives in every sense of the word. Because of this they respected what he believed. Mark, having lived through the good and the bad times with the Natives, also had respect for their beliefs. He not only