The First Flute Book

Names should be respected. They should be valued. They should be honoured.

When a name is given to an adult, it is often given based on the life that person has lived. The name is a statement about the person he or she has become.

When a name is given to a child, it foretells what kind of a person that child will become. If a child is given the name He Who is Kind to Strangers, that child is destined to live a life of kindness. I know this to be true because I once knew a kind man who as a child was given that name.

In The First Flute, David Bouchard tells the story of a young man given the name Dancing Raven. He was a dancer - the best from all the nations. But the other men and boys in his village don't appreciate Dancing Raven's talent - hunting, fishing and tracking are the truly important talents. Dancing Raven must prove to his village the importance of his song.