For My People: Awacha Nay: Ennis, Heidi
Published in 2015
“Awacha náy! This is the way it was.”
Asku, destined to be chief, has always seen what others cannot—visions of Saigwan, the ancient chief during the age of ice and speartooth.
The river flows with life and danger alike, and the balance of his people’s survival rests in his hands.
The year is 1790, in places where time matters …
“Awacha náy! This is the way it was,” the old man said, his voice carrying like wind over the river. The children answered in unison, “Íi!”—but Asku did not.
Asku could not.
Destined to be chief of the Patisapatisháma, Asku has always been different. Since childhood, visions of Saigwan, the ancestor chief from the age of ice and speartooth, have come to him—teaching, warning, and guiding him in ways the other children could never understand. While they could sit and listen to the stories, Asku lived them, carrying the weight of a legacy older than memory itself.
One truth is certain: Saigwan has chosen him. But why? What do the ancestors demand? And when the time comes to take his place among the chiefs, will Asku be ready?
Long before dams, canneries, and explorers charted these waters, people had lived along the Columbia River for thousands of years. From mountain to sea, life flowed with the river’s rhythm, and the delicate balance of power, trade, and survival held communities together.
But change is coming, and the river—and the world of Asku and his people—will never be the same.
Reviews
“A writer this coachable is one for readers to watch, and editors to treasure.
I think her characters are a bit better than those in the O’Gear books, on a par with Shuler’s. That’s the league I see Heidi playing in. And she has it set up masterfully for a sequel.” -JK Kelley
Newly published: Awacha Nay–For My People, by Heidi Ennis | The ‘Lancer (jkkelley.org)
“Ennis has done a good deal of anthropological research and supplies a glossary of terms and titles for readers confused by the immersion technique of her story proper, and that story is ultimately quite gripping and involving, the story of a world both alien and strangely familiar.” -Joanna Urquhart
For My People (Awacha Nay, Book 1) – Historical Novel Society
“Overall this was a delightful read. Any book really that can start to make me cry I think is a pretty powerful one, because that’s not an easy task. Interestingly enough the end of the book is probably my favourite part, because it gave me just a hint, a little flavour for what would come next in Asku’s life, and honestly I don’t know what I want more; Ennis to make a sequel or not, because I think leaving the ending hanging just a bit is a fantastic way to leave a story, because it lets you imagine the story from that point onward, making it a book that keeps on giving.” -Lilaina Osbourn
On Writing: Review for “For my People: Awacha Nay” by Heidi Ennis (theblogonwriting.blogspot.com)