Question

The author Joseph Bruchac has Abenaki Indian ancestry. To what extent does he use this heritage in his writing?

Answer 1

Look up the narrative of Joe Bruchac, he claims his grandfather Jesse Elmer Bowman was Abenaki through Lewis Bowman Sr. who he claims repeatedly was a "lost" Obomsawin from Odanak, Quebec, Canada, the Abenaki Community. Now evaluate the Y-DNA of the Obomsawin's (Q1a3a1) against that of John Jack Bowman's grandsons (direct male descendants) Y-DNA of R1b-KMS67 (from Europe). So to answer your question: Joseph Edward Bruchac III, the author does not have Abenaki Indian ancestry, therefore he cannot use this appropriated "heritage" in his writing, being truthful to his ancestors. He's created a MYTH, based on an appropriated belief and perception that was not based on documentation, genealogically-speaking, reality or the truth. The question, assumes the author has Abenaki ancestry. Joe does not have Abenaki ancestry.

Answer 2

Joseph Bruchac is an American Indian author and a member of the Abenaki tribal group. In addition to his publications as a poet and novelist, Bruchac writes children's books and works as an editor and publisher of collections of contemporary American Indian authors.

Bruchac published over 70 books; his poems and short stories have appeared in over 500 publications. His anthology Breaking Silence received the American Book Award in 1984. He also received a grant from the New York State Arts Council in 1972, later a Writing Fellowship for Poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and im 1998 two prizes from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.