Jim H McConnell

Jesse Songbird, Numu Jim H McConnell

This is a fact-based novel about a young Northern Paiute man, Jesse Songbird, who was born and raised on the Warm Springs Reservation in north-central Oregon. His parents have recently died, and eighteen-year old Jesse leaves the Reservation in 1910 to make his way in the modern world, as his parents have educated and encouraged him to do. His first goal, however, is to see the land of "his people" that his father spent many hours describing to him as they worked together in the solitude of the Reservation forests. His wish is to try living as his parents and grandparents once lived, relying on their own resources to harvest what nature has provided in the semi-arid lands of the northern Great Basin. To finance his sojourn in the wilderness, Jesse commits to one year of menial work on a large ranch. He is encouraged by his treatment at the ranch, and receives valuable advice for pursuing his immediate goal. On the first leg of his journey of exploration, new friends provide opportunities for growth and ripening self-confidence. Pursuing his "Spirit Quest" in the wintertime high desert country, Jesse is forcefully reminded of the wisdom of his parents in preparing and encouraging him to fit himself for life in the modern world. His quest ends with the discovery of the person who is to be his life partner. A tragic event interrupts Jesse's work and planning for his new bride to join him. The novel presents Jesse's life as a metaphor for the larger Native American dilemma of living in the modern world while attempting to retain as much as possible of the traditional culture and way of life.