The Language of Trees (31 page)

Ganondagan

Located ten miles north of the city of Canandaigua in Victor, New York, Ganondagan State Historic Site claims 611 acres of sacred lands. Dedicated to the education and preservation of Seneca history and culture, the site holds yearly festivals and tours. Along with workshops and lectures, there is a replica bark longhouse that has been constructed in order to mark the site of the French raid of 1687, the spot where 150 longhouses once stood and were decimated in a battle over fur trade. Visitors are welcome any time of year, but summer and fall are the most popular.

To find out more about Ganondagan, please visit their Web site at www.ganonda gan.org.

 

Facts and Legends

The name Canandaigua comes from the Seneca word
Kanan-darque,
which means the “Chosen Spot.” The area surrounds the deep and narrow lake, where two sacred hills—South Hill and Bare Hill—stand near the south end. According to legend, the Seneca Nation of Indians was born in a gorge near Clark's Gully, a deeply cut ravine lined with lacy ferns that creep out of the layered shale walls at the foot of South Hill, which rises 1,100 feet above the lake. The gully is little known and unmarked but for the pine, beech, and maple branches that capture the sunlight. The Seneca call South Hill
Nundawao
, where their ancestors emerged, giving birth to a world far more mystical. The Seneca refer to themselves as
Onondowaga
, “people of the great hill.” It is said that Canandaigua Lake and the other Finger Lakes were
formed when the Creator placed his hand on the earth designating this as the chosen place to live. The region became known as the Finger Lakes, and Canandaigua, in Western New York, was the “little finger.”

The legend of Bare Hill is widely known. This 865-foot hill marks the place where a little boy in a Seneca village raised a pet serpent that grew to a monstrous size, eventually devouring all the men and women there. When the young boy shot the serpent with an arrow, it wriggled and writhed down the path in a death struggle, wearing away all the vegetation. As it fell to the shore, it spit out the heads of its victims into the lake. Folks say the large smooth white stones found in the lake today are the skulls of the Seneca people. Geologists call these stones
septaria
.

For years, nothing grew on Bare Hill, not a single tree, bush, or blade of grass. Today, though the snake's path is still clear, the summit is so thick with brush the lake can hardly be seen. A flurry of wildflowers appears in autumn: goldenrod, asters, sweet pea, Queen Anne's lace, daisy fleabane.

The Canandaigua snake monster is another legend, and may well be linked to the Seneca legend of the serpent. Years ago, a steamboat captain was rumored to carry a shotgun on board whenever he sailed Canandaigua. The arcade manager at Roseland Amusement Park told the local newspaper that the snake's head looked like a huge pickle barrel. Then there were countless others who saw it, but never spoke of what they'd seen.

 

The Seneca

The Seneca Nation is part of the Iroquois Confederacy. Legend has it that several hundred years ago, a Huron prophet sailed across Lake Ontario in a white stone canoe spreading his message of peace to five warring tribes—Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk—uniting them all under one roof. They became known as the
Haudenosaunee
, or Iroquois. The Seneca, a matriarchal society, were the Keepers of the Western Door, and the Confederacy chose the white pine as its symbol because its
needles grow in bunches of five to represent the five tribes. Later, the Tuscarora joined them. They placed the eagle on top of the pine symbol because it could see farthest and yell the loudest. If anyone tried to disturb the great law of peace they'd be warned by its screaming.

1. The idea of being “orphaned” and the concept of
   rootedness
   are themes in this book. Echo talks about her fear of not being tethered to the world and to her life. What are the things that “tether” a person to his or her life? How important do you think rootedness is? Is it created by family ties, or are there other ways to create it? What other characters in the story have similar feelings?
   
2. How important is setting in this story? The Indian folklore and the history of Canandaigua contribute to the sense of place, almost making the lake become a character in and of itself. How does this affect the mood of the story, and what effect, if any, does the lake have on the people who live there?
   
3. Joseph says that sometimes you have to tell a dying tree that its leaves are growing and see how it changes. Some might call this lying. What are your thoughts on this? In what ways and to whom does Joseph demonstrate his theory?
   
4. In the beginning of the book, Echo believes that wishes are dangerous things. Why might she believe this? Do you think that by the end of the story, she still believes this?
   
5. The theme of second chances is central to this book. Who is given a second chance in the story and how?
   
6. Echo pushed Grant away when she was seventeen. Why did she do this? How did her past affect her actions and how did time and experience convince her to try again with him? Why does Grant give her a second chance?
   
7. In the story, many characters, both living and not, return to their past before they can move on. Do you think it is always necessary to go back in order to move on?
   
8. Leila says that people in a family develop personality traits to compensate for each other. She says Melanie became impulsive because Leila had been so passive. What other characters in the book do you think became who they are to “balance out” their family members?
   
9. Much has been written about children who are forced to “parent” their parents during times of family hardship. As the primary caretaker of Leila after Luke's death and as the one who dealt with her alcoholic father, Melanie suffered, according to Leila. How do you think this role affected Melanie in both positive and negative ways?
   
10. Many characters in this book exhibit “magical thinking” or superstitious behavior. For example, Leila believes that if a person wants anything bad enough it is possible to turn the wish into a memory through the repetition of thought, sometimes to the point of no longer wanting it at all. Why might she feel this way? Why do you think certain people develop these ways of thinking? What are some examples of this in the book?
    
11. While Luke is alive, what is it about Luke that Victor fears the most? When Luke is sleeping in the car after being lost in the woods, the author writes: “The child possessed
    so peaceful a presence that it made Victor hurt.” What is meant by this?
    
12. Many characters in the story are lonely or afraid to be alone. This, in turn, causes them to make choices that may not be in their best interests. What are some examples of this?
    
13. Some of the characters in the book view Emily Shongo as strong. Others view her as weak. What is your opinion? Do you agree that waiting and patience are a life's work?
    
14. As the “wisdom keeper” in the story, Joseph makes the following statements to Echo: people on earth can do more for each other than spirits can; birds see the world as perfection—that is the reason they can fly; when you're older and look at your life, you can see that everything happened as it was supposed to. Which statement do you agree with the most? How might each of these statements help a person?
    
15. What does Charlie mean when he says to Leila, “I wasn't a lot of places that I should have been?” Do you think he is referring to being with Candice or being with Leila?
    
16. Charlie talks about how the Florence Nightingale syndrome ruins the lives of young girls. Do you think many young girls possess this quality? If so, what might cause young girls to feel that they need to fulfill this role? How did it affect Melanie?
    
17. By not telling Grant about his abilities, was Ben Shongo really protecting Grant from failure, as Joseph says? What would you have advised Ben Shongo to tell Grant?
    
18. In the story, there is a place between life and death where spirits cross paths, as happens at the end of the book, when Luke, Melanie, and Joseph say their final good-byes. Do you believe in a place such as this?
    
19. Clarisse says, “Not everything is meant to happen. Some things should stay as they are, just like that, full of possibility. It's wanting them that gives you something to hope for, a reason to get up in the morning and put on a fancy dress.” Do you agree?
    
20. Both Clarisse and Leila say they were ruined by love. Do you agree?
    

I
WOULD LIKE TO
thank the following people who have taught me such insightful things about writing over the years: Tony DeFusto, Dr. James Ragan, Shelly Lowenkopf, James W. Brown, the late James O'Connell, Dan Smetanka, and the community at Grub Street Writers in Boston.

 

M
ANY EYES HAVE PASSED
across these pages, and I am grateful to all, but for their enduring friendship and unwavering belief in me and this book: David Flynn, James Fedolfi, Stephen Bourassa, and Jill Rosenfeld. Thanks to George V. Barden and the people of Canandaigua for verifying facts and folklore, and the good folks at Ganondagan State Historic Site for letting me explore just a little bit of their beautiful land. Thanks to Sally Wofford-Girand of Brick House Literary Agents for keeping the faith, and to Lucia Macro and her team at Avon/Harper Collins, for their vision and enthusiasm in making this a reality.

 

T
HANKS FINALLY TO MY
husband, who will travel to distant lands with me and take momentous leaps to make visions come true, and to my three children, now home from Africa, for teaching me the true meaning of resiliency and second chances.

Cover design by Amanda Kain

Cover photograph of trees by Lloyd Ziff/Gallery Stock

Cover photograph of figure in water by Richard Jenkins