Kynship
From NativeWiki
Kynship is a 2005 indigenous epic fantasy novel by Daniel Heath Justice, the first book in a trilogy entitled The Way of Thorn and Thunder. It tells the story of the Kyn, a race of small green or blue-skinned elfish beings, and their destructive encounter with the race of Humans. The story is allegorical in nature, meant to retell the historical contact between Native Americans and Europeans and in particular the Cherokee Trail of Tears.
The novel includes a fold-out map of the story world, a glossary of names and terms, and a preview of the next book in the series, Wyrwood.
Contents |
Plot Summary
Kynship is told primarily in chronological order but from many points of view that switch frequently. The most important points of view are noted in the following summary, though there are others.
The novel begins with a battle between a group of Kyn female warriors and a creature called Wears-Stones-For-Skin who had been massacring villages. One of the she-Kyn, Tarsa’deshae, kills the creature in her first battle as a full Redthorn warrior. After the battle Tarsa unexpectedly becomes ill, and collapses unconscious.
Unahi, an elder she-Kyn Wielder who is able to connect with the land to draw on spiritual powers, receives a message from her sisters about Tarsa, her niece, and travels to their village. Tarsa’s blackout was the result of her emerging Wielder powers, and Unahi is the only one who might be able to help Tarsa gain control of her powers. Wielders are not as respected as they once were, but if Tarsa does not learn control she threatens to destroy herself and everything around her. Tarsa is thrown into a pit made of iron meant to contain her powers, but is soon rescued by Unahi who takes her away from Red Cedar Town.
The next character introduced is Jitani, a she-Kyn who works as a guard for a human supply train. In the midst of her thoughts about the growing tensions between Kyn and Humans, the supply wagons are attacked by a group of men. Soon after this Tobhi is introduced. He is a Tetawa, a member of a tribal race that lives alongside the Kyn, and he travels with a he-Kyn named Leith who is very Human in nature.
Meanwhile, Tarsa and Unahi have traveled to a destroyed town to perform funeral rights for the slain. Here they meet Tobhi and Leith, who have been searching for Unahi. A Kyn Assembly is to be held, and as a Wielder Unahi is asked to attend. Leith is killed in the forest and Tobhi is revealed to have the power to read fortunes from leaves. Through Tobhi’s story Tarsa learns the history of the conflict between Humans and the Everland. Tobhi, Tarsa, and Unahi then begin the journey to meet with the Assembly in the central Kyn city of Sheynadwiin.
Next introduced is Neranda, a Lawmaker Kyn who lives in Sheynadwiin and is a proud Celestial and supporter of the new, Human ways. Also, in Human lands Dreydmaster Vald is seen performing ominous enchantments, severing spirits to gain power and ruminating over ominous plans.
After a difficult and violent journey, during which Tarsa begins to fear her out-of-control powers, Unahi, Tarsa, and Tobhi reach Sheynadwiin. Tarsa receives lessons in Wielding and Tobhi visits with relatives in the city while Unahi and the other Wielders prepare for the Assembly. Tarsa also meets Governor Garyn and ventures into a spiritual place housing the Eternity Tree, where she comes to terms with her power and her true identity.
The Assembly, consisting of representatives from the many races of the Everland, then begins. They review a proposal sent by Dreydmaster Vald, who wishes to remove the Kyn to a place far in the west where the two races would no longer threaten each other. Some Kyn are appalled at the suggestion of leaving their lands and distrust the offered treaty, while others more sympathetic to the Humans support the proposal. While the Assembly discusses the issue, Tarsa, Tobhi, and several other Kyn leave on a mission to the Human lands to rescue several Kyn ambassadors in danger from Vald. At the conclusion of the Assembly, all the races decide to reject the proposal, to the disapproval of the Celestial Kyn and Neranda in particular.
Significant Characters
- Garyn- A he-Kyn and Governor in Sheynadwiin, and a supporter of the old Greenwalker ways. He is strong and wise, but growing old and losing some of the allies he once had. He leads the Assembly and does not support Vald’s proposal, but is contested by Neranda and the other Celestial politicians.
- Jitani- A she-Kyn fighter who works as a guard for various supply trains that run between Kyn and Human lands. Jitani lost two of her sensory stalks in a fight, making her less sensitive than most Kyn to the emotions around her, but seems strong despite her injury. Jitani holds to the old ways, as does her brother who is one of the most outspoken Greenwalker supporters
- Leith- A he-Kyn who was raised and taught by Humans, and does not know how to speak the Kyn language. He is aloof and does not seem to particularly like Kyn or Tetawa, and is very Human in nature. Leith traveled with Tobhi as a guide to gather members for the Assembly, his pride leading him to accept the task in the hopes of gaining honor.
- Neranda- A she-Kyn Lawmaker who lives in Sheynadwiin and is an up-and-coming politician. She does not allow herself to succumb to corruption, but is a strong Celestial and supporter of the new ways. She is the most outspoken voice for accepting Dreydmaster Vald’s proposal, and is at odds with her uncle Garyn.
- Quill- A female Tetawa from Tobhi’s village. Quill is a Dolltender; she makes dolls from wood and other materials and is able to talk to them. They become like spirits, and give her advice and have the power to act on their own to show her events happening nearby. Others in the village come to Quill with problems and questions, and she consults her dolls to answer them.
- Tarsa- A she-Kyn from Red Cedar Town who spent her youth training to become a Redthorn warrior. As Unahi’s niece she also has the powers of a Wielder, which are very strong but difficult for her to control and come to terms with. As both a Redthorn and a Wielder, Tarsa is a dedicated follower of the old ways of nature and the Everland.
- Tobhi- A male Tetawa, short and brown-skinned and friend to the Kyn. Tobhi is a Leafspeaker, able to read lore and stories and a little about the future in the leaves he carries with him. He has an open, friendly nature and becomes like a brother to Tarsa, and he loves Quill, whom he grew up with.
- Unahi- A she-Kyn Wielder, with a strong connection to the land that gives her magical abilities. She is one of the few Kyn left who holds entirely to the old ways, and is sadden and disturbed by the changes in the world around her. Unahi is strong and wise, and becomes a teacher to her niece Tarsa. As a Wielder, her duties include healing, the removal of curses, the observation of ceremonies, and the overseeing of births, weddings, and funerals.
- Vald- A Human male who lives in the land of Eromar, and oversees a secret order with the ability to capture the spirits of powerful beings and use them to perform magic. Publicly Vald is a prominent politician, the man who demands that the Kyn leave the Everland and move to the west to end the conflict between the races.
Themes
Colonization/Contact
Kynship is meant to parallel the contact between the Native Americans and Europeans, and how disastrous colonization was for the Native Americans. The Kyn used to be relatively peaceful, but the arrival of Humans brought an increase in violence, death, and tension. Some Kyn have abandoned their ties to their people and the land and have become followers of the Humans and their religion, and traditional Kyn are increasingly persecuted and feared. There seem no safe options left—either the Kyn abandon their lands and roots, in the process losing part of themselves, or they remain where they are and face extermination.
Iron is used as a symbol for the destructive nature of this contact. Humans brought iron to the Everland, and the metal is poisonous to the Kyn. Contact with iron can make them ill enough to die. This parallels the general influence of the Europeans on the Native Americans, as well as the many diseases brought through colonization. Kyn who support the Humans and have become Celestials use iron in the construction of sacred arches to honor their new religion, despite its poisonous nature. Some Kyn posses iron wards that can protect them from the metal, but such wards are rare and expensive.
Environment
To the Kyn, as to Native American tribes, the land is the center of life. It is the source of identity, spirituality, and community, and is to be respected. The Kyn do not see life as hierarchical, but afford plants and animals the same respect as sentient beings. Traditional Kyn do not hunt, because they do not believe in killing unless it is necessary. This belief is reinforced by the Kyn’s sensory stalks, four appendages on their heads that register the emotions around them. Pain and death cause the Kyn nearby pain through these stalks, and remind them constantly of how dependant they are on everyone and everything around them.
Freedom of Sexuality
The Kyn are not by nature heterosexual or homosexual. For the most part they seem bisexual, easily forming attachments to either gender. They are also very sexually expressive, with no apparent social rules regarding the sanctity of marriage. This is their natural way of being, and they wonder why Humans so often get sexuality mixed up with shame and guilt. Tarsa acknowledges having lovers of both genders, and throughout the novel begins to have romantic feelings for Jitani.
Gender roles among the Kyn are very flexible, and men and women seem to be equals. Most of the warriors in the novel are female, and in the first battle men and women work easily together to slay Wears-Stones-For-Skin. There are also the zhe-Kyn, Kyn who are neither male nor female but are supposed to embody aspects of both. These Kyn are revered and thought to be very powerful, and are often found at the center of ceremonies and rituals.
Identity
A major focus of the plot is Tarsa’s coming-of-age, how she must reconcile herself to her new powers. Her identity has been wrapped up in her warrior skills and her family, but she becomes estranged from all this when her Wielder powers emerge. Tarsa is forced to find a way to reconcile her different aspects and form a new identity for herself. When she reaches Sheynadwiin she meets with the Tree of Life and is presented with hundreds of masks, and told to choose her true face. Through this trial she discovers her identity is something she can choose for herself, and ties her to the land more strongly than to any particular place or people.
On a larger scale, in Kynship identity is always tied strongly to the land. Many Kyn resist the proposal to move to the west because they don’t know what will happen to them if they leave the place they have always lived in. Who they are as people and as a race is connected to the land and the creatures and spirits it contains, and they fear they would not even be Kyn anymore if they left. Also, they fear the humans in part because they seem to have no such sense of identity; Humans do not understand how tied they are to the land and so misuse it.
Spirituality
For the Kyn, spirituality is embodied in the land and the spirits, and is a part of everyday life. They have many ceremonies and rituals meant to allow them to communicate with the spirits, as well as to respect them and ask them for aid. Powers the Humans see as magical and dangerous are to the Kyn a natural extension of this relationship.
However, many Kyn have left behind the old ways and become Celestials, practitioners of a religion brought by the Humans. This religion is not fully described, but is obviously intended to be similar to Christianity. The Celestials are sympathetic to the Humans and agreeable to the idea of moving west. They see the old ways as dangerous and primitive, and can become violent in their efforts to convert their fellow Kyn. Followers of the old ways, often referred to as Greenwalkers, distrust Celestials and feel they have betrayed their people and turned their backs on the land and spirits to whom they own their lives.
Stories
To the Kyn, stories are a source of power and wisdom. They connect people to their history, and remind them of mistakes made in the past. Stories teach lessons, and can provide valuable guidance for the future. Kynship itself is presented as a story, and a few times the narrative halts to allow the inclusion of a historical tale. Tobhi’s ability to read stories from his lore leaves is highly respected, and earns him a place of honor among his people. Tarsa gains much guidance from the stories others tell her, and at one point is given a chanting sash which holds stories of power and helps to contain and channel her own abilities.
Author Intentions
Daniel Heath Justice writes that most fantasy literature includes one of two types of savages: the noble savages like elves who must make way for the ascension of Men, and the ignoble savages who must be civilized or eliminated. Kynship is in part intended to provide a third option, that the ‘savages’ can be a people as human and complex as the white-skinned Humans their world collides with.[1] They are not merely bystanders or victims; instead the story is from their perspective. In their eyes, it is the Humans who seem savage and dangerous, and who threaten their way of life.
In an interview Justice stated that the primary purpose of his fiction is to give a voice to the other side of the history we so often hear merely from a white perspective. He said, “I want to speak to folks who aren’t often spoken to. I want my work to be something in which Indigenous people, people of color, women, queer folks and others, can find complex representations of themselves, their lives and experiences.”[2] Through the Kyn, Justice provides the Native American perspective, placing his characters not solely as victims but as masters of their own fates. He wishes to chronicle how people survive, despite the numerous obstacles they face.[3]
The genre of fantasy allows Justice to expand on this story and go beyond mere history to explore the possibilities. Kynship is based on the historical Trail of Tears, but is allegorical in nature and does not strictly conform to actual events. Justice wants to give marginalized people the message that they can use imagination to rewrite history, to discover the different options available to them. [4] Also, writing genre fiction allows Justice to make his work accessible to a wider audience than the one typically interested in Native American history.[5]
Release Details
2005, Canada, Kegedonce Press ISBN-10: 0973139668 ISBN-13: 978-0973139662
References
- "Interview With First Nations Fantasy Author." Interview with Celu Amberstone. SF Canada. 25 May 2008. 11 Mar. 2009 <http://www.sfcanada.ca/Spring%202008/Daniel%20Heath%20Justice.htm>.
- Hernandez, Daisy. “Spotlight: Daniel Heath Justice.” ColorLines. Nov/Dec 2006. 11 Mar. 2009 <http://www.colorlines.com/article.php?ID=155>
- Justice, Daniel Heath. "Creative Works." Daniel Heath Justice. 11 Mar. 2009 <http://www.danielheathjustice.com/creativeworks.html>.
- Justice, Daniel Heath. Kynship: The Way of Thorn and Thunder. Wiarton: Kegedonce Press, 2005.
