I Heard the Owl Call My Name

I Heard the Owl Call My Name Summary | Plot Summary

I Heard the Owl Call My Name is about a young vicar and his time in an ancient Indian village during a time of cultural change. It is a journey of learning and all the small happenings that can add up to significance.

Mark Brian is sent to the village of Kingcome to serve as vicar for a parish consisting of many remote villages and logging camps in coastal British Columbia, Canada. Although he does not know it, he has been diagnosed with a fatal disease and has only two to three years to live. His bishop sends him to Kingcome in the hope that Mark will learn enough, fast enough, to be prepared to die.

The village of Kingcome has been in existence for centuries. Local myth says it was founded after the last flood covered the earth. Despite radios, motorboats and other modern intrusions, life in Kingcome still is controlled by the need to provide basic items such as food, shelter and warmth. The natural surroundings are magnificent, but they can also be deadly if not treated with respect. Mark's story unfolds month by month, as the activities of Kingcome are dictated by the seasons.

In Kingcome, Mark discovers a culture unlike the white world he has come from. The residents of Kingcome work together as a community to gain a comfortable living. They value family, generosity and cooperation over the competition and greed often found in the white world. Mark questions his ability to fit in with the Indians and to contribute to them, but he approaches his assignment with a willingness to learn and to try.

The potlatch tradition of the coastal Indians is a major part of their culture. When something of significance is to be celebrated, a family will announce its intention to hold a potlatch. That family will invite guests, provide food and also give away gifts. At one time, an entire village might participate and give away so much of its wealth that the residents are reduced to poverty after the ceremony. This tradition has been discouraged by the government but is still carried out in a more modest manner. Mark attends a potlatch during his time in Kingcome and feels the spirit of participating in the native dances and storytelling.

The myths that have been handed down through oral tradition are also important in Kingcome. Throughout the story, Mark is compared to the swimmer, or salmon. The salmon starts life in the river and goes on a preordained journey to the sea and back. Although this journey always ends in death, the Indians do not view it as sad because the salmon has fulfilled his destiny and produced young salmon to carry on the species. This comparison can be viewed as a foretelling of Mark's destiny.

In Kingcome, Mark also finds that there is more directness about life, death and the basics of living. People are not judged by who they are, but by what they do. If you work to help others it does not matter where you come from. Death is viewed as part of life, and while people do not look for death, they also do not hide from it. There is a directness of speech in Kingcome that is not present in the white world. Mark is able to learn from the Indians, teach them of his world in return and find friends and a home during his time there. He is comfortable with himself and his contributions before he dies.