Echoes of the Forest

These twenty-six poems carry voices older than the nations that now share this land. William Edgar Brown, writing from his Ojibway heritage as Nwah-ke-nah-go-zid, rendered these First Nations origin stories into English verse with care that honors the oral traditions from which they came. The collection moves from creation narratives to explanations of the natural world, each poem a window into how indigenous peoples understood their place in a world alive with meaning. These are not children's fables but sacred inheritances, passed down through generations before Brown's hand gave them new life on the page. The stories speak of kinship between all peoples, of the forest and its inhabitants, of the deep time in which human beings are recent arrivals. Brown's dedication frames these poems as bridges: attempts to help readers understand that the white man and red man are brothers. Whether or not such unity was ever fully achieved, these verses remain as witness to a worldview that sees connection where many see only resources. For readers seeking to understand the continent's original literatures, this collection offers entry into traditions that have endured despite every effort to silence them.