Flying Bird's Diary by
On her first day of school, Fidelia meets puritanical teacher Miss Raymond, who believes humans are more important than animals, children should be seen and not heard, and English is more important than Native languages. Fidelia doesn’t understand these notions, and Miss Raymond beats Fidelia for speaking Mohegan and speaking her mind. Afterward, Fidelia draws strength from her tribe’s story of Wolf Woman, a...
On her first day of school, Fidelia meets puritanical teacher Miss Raymond, who believes humans are more important than animals, children should be seen and not heard, and English is more important than Native languages. Fidelia doesn’t understand these notions, and Miss Raymond beats Fidelia for speaking Mohegan and speaking her mind. Afterward, Fidelia draws strength from her tribe’s story of Wolf Woman, a legendary ancestor who conjured inner strength in an impossible situation. Fidelia’s cousin, Henry, declares her a “language warrior” and her grandma, Nonner Martha, tells her that the woods will now be her only school. Thanks to her whaler father’s gift of a diary, Fidelia writes regularly in English and Mohegan, and immerses herself in her grandmother’s ancient woodland teachings. Throughout her life, Flying Bird faces many more obstacles but never loses sight of her goal: to save her language and culture.