I Heard the Owl Call My Name
Encyclopedia
I Heard the Owl Call My Name is a best-selling 1960s book by Margaret Craven. The book tells the story of a young Anglican vicar
named Mark Brian who has not long to live, and who learns about the meaning of life when he is sent to a First Nations
parish in British Columbia
.
in 1967, it was not until 1973 when the book was picked up by an American publisher. Released to wide acclaim, it reached No.1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
is sent to a Native Indian village called Kingcome
in British Columbia
where the Kwakwala language is spoken. His bishop
sends him, knowing that Mark is suffering from an unnamed, fatal disease, in order to learn life's hard lessons in the time left to him. Mark is unaware of this and his bishop does not tell him.
The government outlaws the village's time-honored festivals of potlatch
s on the grounds that they promote larceny
. The village also owns a gigantic colorful mask, to which they refused an earlier offer from someone to buy it for several thousand dollars on the basis that it was an insufficient offer. However, a white man manages to buy the mask for 50 dollars by getting one of the Indians drunk, who then proceeds to write a bill of sale on the mask.
In order to gain access to the giant mask, the same white man ingratiates himself to the village. He also starts dating an attractive young woman by promising to marry her. At first he treats her to things like hairdressing and nail polish with the effect that the village is naively impressed with her enhanced beauty and the fact she has a fiancé.
When the conman acquires what he was truly in search of, the giant mask, he abandons the young Indian woman, leaving her to fend for herself on the streets of Vancouver
. A man from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) informs Mark of her tragic end, where she was taken in at a beer parlor, working as a prostitute
until she died of a heroin overdose. This is a turning point for Mark as he ponders the "depth of sadness"; the destitution of the village, as well as man's greed and disrespect for women. Mark dies in the end, not from his illness but from a landslide which crushes his boat. He has learned from the villagers and they from him, to the point that they give him a burial in the village as they would have one of the Indians.
The title of the book derives from a Kwakiutl belief that when one hears the owl call one's name, death is imminent.
as a CBS
television movie
of the same title.
Though it does describe some of the real events which would later inspire the characters and plot of I Heard the Owl Call My Name, it does not feature any of the characters in I Heard the Owl Call My Name or continue the story of the novel.
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
named Mark Brian who has not long to live, and who learns about the meaning of life when he is sent to a First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
parish in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Publication
First published in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1967, it was not until 1973 when the book was picked up by an American publisher. Released to wide acclaim, it reached No.1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
Plot introduction
Mark Brian, a young vicarVicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
is sent to a Native Indian village called Kingcome
Kingcome, British Columbia
Kingcome is an unincorporated settlement in the Kingcome Inlet area of the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada, located a few miles up the Kingcome River from the head of the inlet. It is the home of one of the four tribes of the Dzawada’enuxw subgroup of the Kwakwaka'wakw and was in the...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
where the Kwakwala language is spoken. His bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
sends him, knowing that Mark is suffering from an unnamed, fatal disease, in order to learn life's hard lessons in the time left to him. Mark is unaware of this and his bishop does not tell him.
The government outlaws the village's time-honored festivals of potlatch
Potlatch
A potlatch is a gift-giving festival and primary economic system practiced by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and United States. This includes Heiltsuk Nation, Haida, Nuxalk, Tlingit, Makah, Tsimshian, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwaka'wakw, and Coast Salish cultures...
s on the grounds that they promote larceny
Larceny
Larceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of England into their own law. It has been abolished in England and Wales,...
. The village also owns a gigantic colorful mask, to which they refused an earlier offer from someone to buy it for several thousand dollars on the basis that it was an insufficient offer. However, a white man manages to buy the mask for 50 dollars by getting one of the Indians drunk, who then proceeds to write a bill of sale on the mask.
In order to gain access to the giant mask, the same white man ingratiates himself to the village. He also starts dating an attractive young woman by promising to marry her. At first he treats her to things like hairdressing and nail polish with the effect that the village is naively impressed with her enhanced beauty and the fact she has a fiancé.
When the conman acquires what he was truly in search of, the giant mask, he abandons the young Indian woman, leaving her to fend for herself on the streets of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. A man from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) informs Mark of her tragic end, where she was taken in at a beer parlor, working as a prostitute
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
until she died of a heroin overdose. This is a turning point for Mark as he ponders the "depth of sadness"; the destitution of the village, as well as man's greed and disrespect for women. Mark dies in the end, not from his illness but from a landslide which crushes his boat. He has learned from the villagers and they from him, to the point that they give him a burial in the village as they would have one of the Indians.
The title of the book derives from a Kwakiutl belief that when one hears the owl call one's name, death is imminent.
Adaptation
In the year of its American release, the book was adapted to the screen by Gerald Di PegoGerald Di Pego
Gerald Di Pego is an American screenwriter and producer.-Feature film screenplays:*W , Cinerama, 1974*Sharky's Machine, Orion, 1981*Phenomenon, Buena Vista, 1996...
as a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
of the same title.
Again Calls the Owl
Margaret Craven later wrote an autobiography titled Again Calls the Owl which is often incorrectly referred to as a sequel to I Heard the Owl Call My Name. It is, in fact, a true recounting of Margaret Craven's life. Marget spent some of her time studying the native culture to write the original book.Though it does describe some of the real events which would later inspire the characters and plot of I Heard the Owl Call My Name, it does not feature any of the characters in I Heard the Owl Call My Name or continue the story of the novel.