Rez Dogs

Joseph Bruchac is a proud citizen and member of the Elders Council of the Nulhegan Abenaki Nation, whose population is primarily located in New England and Southeast Canada. His deep connections to his Abenaki heritage heavily influence his writing, illustrated in his contemporary novel in verse, Rez Dogs.

In 2022, Bruchac gave a talk at his alma mater, Cornell University, where he shared his experiences of growing up in an era where being Inigenous was not something to be proud of: “People wouldn’t call attention to their Native ancestry; they kept a low profile and tried to blend in […] My grandfather used to visit his relatives in Vermont, but never talked about being Native. He’d tell everyone he was French Canadian” (“Joseph Bruchac ’64, BA ’65, Explores the Native American Experience.” The College of Arts & Sciences, 6 Jan. 2022). Bruchac is passionate about Indigenous topics. He adds that as recently as the 1980s, when he identified as Indigenous or drew attention to Indigenous issues, he “was very much out of the mainstream” (“Joseph Bruchac ’64, BA ’65, Explores the Native American Experience.” The College of Arts & Sciences, 6 Jan. 2022).

Bruchac explains that the long and difficult history between Indigenous Americans and white people have led to images of Indigenous Americans that are negative, stereotyped, or romanticized. Historically, the Abenaki people sided with the French during the “French and Indian War,” a series of wars spanning the years 1754-1763 that took place between the French and British in North America. The wars ended with a British victory and defeat of the Indigenous people that had supported the French and threatened the American colonists. Subsequently, Abenaki people suffered harsh discrimination in the US.

Bruchac educates people about these issues and histories in his talks, storytelling and books (including Rez Dogs), bringing to light atrocities such as the eugenics program in Vermont in the early 1900s, where Indigenous Americans, poor people, people with disabilities , and French Canadians were institutionalized and sterilized.

He points out that Vermont didn’t apologize until 2021. In the formal apology, Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski, and Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint stood in the State House before many people from the Abenaki tribes of New England. They read:

While eugenics practices and policies are no longer in existence, the impact and legacy deeply remains today […] For those that were directly impacted or their descendants, and for all of the communities involved, we cannot undo the trauma that this moment has caused, but we can start by formally acknowledging this dark period in our state’s history (Nostrant, Rachel. “Vermont’s Legislative Leaders Apologize for State-Sanctioned Eugenics Movement.” VTDigger, 18 Oct. 2021).

Highlighting this long overdue apology is emblematic of Bruchac’s determination to educate and call attention to the lives and histories of Indigenous American individuals.

Through his poetry, prose, storytelling, music and involvement in programs teaching traditional crafts, skills, and the Abenaki language, Bruchac has become one of the most well-known and influential Indigenous American scholars. His narratives like Rez Dogs educate younger readers about Indigenous American histories and current obstacles while maintaining and fostering hope. Of his writing style, Bruchac says:

I try to write the same way I tell traditional stories […] It should be interesting; that way people will listen. But there should be something meaningful within it—a message, an important thought. So that’s what I believe is significant: to teach, and also to entertain (“Joseph Bruchac ’64, BA ’65, Explores the Native American Experience.” The College of Arts & Sciences, 6 Jan. 2022).

In addition to Rez Dogs, Bruchac has written several other children’s books. These include: One Real American: The Life of Ely S. Parker, Seneca Sachem and Civil War General (2019), and Two Roads (2018). Bruchac has published over 100 works of poetry, young adult and adult novels, often exploring Indigenous American themes. His most recent books include Voices of the People (2022), A Year of Moons: Stories From The Adirondack Foothills (2022), Peacemaker (2021), and Padoskoks (2020).

Bruchac graduated from Cornell University, then completed a masters at Syracuse University. He later obtained a PhD in comparative literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. SUNY Potsdam, Wheelock College, and Middlebury College awarded Bruchac honorary doctorates. In addition to writing, Bruchac is also a musician and traditional Abenaki storyteller. He is currently the executive director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and the Ndakinna Education Center, where he works with his sons. The Center offers programs in traditional Indigenous crafts, outdoor education, and Abenaki language classes as well as hosting lectures and Indigenous American events.