A Owl Called My Name

I Heard The Owl Call My Name

In the book, I Heard The Owl Call My Name, Margaret Craven tells the story of a young pastor who travels to another village to teach the Indians Christianity. Here, the pastor experiences a new culture and recognizes the many differences between the life he lives and the lives of the Indian village people.

There are many differences in culture presented in this book. The first major difference that the pastor encounters is the difference in the sense of community/village. Mark, the young pastor, is surprised to find out that the Indians consider the animals, river, and everything within their surroundings as part of their village. This idea is odd to him, as he is used to only counting people when considering the size of a village.

Another cultural difference addressed in the book is the difference in exploring and changing with new advances made in society. Mark decides to build a boat one day to help the community experience life outside their village. This offends the people as they view their village as being all they ever need. They believe that incorporating new advances into their lifestyle is like turning their back on their culture. To go out and become a part of the outside society and to be educated by the outside world is looked down upon rather than admired. This idea of not advancing with the rest of society is a struggle for Mark to understand. Another difference is the size of the town and cultural differences due to the family-like atmosphere.

Because the village is so small and functions as a family, death is something that affects everyone. The death of one person affects everyone in the tribe as they rely on one another and think of each other as kin. They know that the time will come for each of them to hear the owl call their name, and they will know it is their time to go. Or, they may even hear the name of a loved