ABOUT THE BOOK:
As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must travel up the mountain to collect obsidian for knappingthe same mountain where his two older brothers died.
When he reaches the mountaintop, he is immediately confronted by a terrifying eagle god named Savik. Savik gives the boy a choice: follow me or die like your brothers.
What comes next is a harrowing journey to the home of the eagle gods and unexpected lessons on the natural world, the past that shapes us, and the community that binds us.
Eagle Drums by Nasu!raq Rainey Hopson is part cultural folklore, part origin myth about the Messengers Feast which is still celebrated in times of bounty among the Iñupiaq. Its the story of how Iñupiaq people were given the gift of music, song, dance, community, and everlasting tradition.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Born and raised in the rural expanse of the North Slope of Alaska, Nasu!raq Rainey Hopson grew up on fantastic tales from her unique and rich Indigenous Iñupiaq culture. When she is not writing or creating art inspired by these stories, she is studying how to grow food in the arctic and is working at preserving traditional Iñupiaq knowledge. She has a degree in Studio Art and has taught all levels of Art from kindergarten to college level. She lives in Anaktuvuk Pass Alaska with her husband and daughter, three dogs, and a small flock of arctic chickens where she lives off the land and the amazing bounty it provides like her ancestors did for thousands of years. She is the author of Eagle Drums.