May you enjoy a short discussion, based on four chapters of Farley Mowat’s Lost in the Barrens: No Man’s Land, The Rapid, Alone n the Wilderness, The Great Stone House.
Joshua : Two boys. Jamie was from Toronto. Awasin lives in northern Canada.
Tina : How did they become friends?
Joshua : Jamie moved to northern Canada. The two became neighbours, then friends. As they played and worked together, Jamie learned a lot from Awasin. When they were on a hunt with a group, they were assigned to stay behind with two other men. Jamie and Awasin became impatient and left. First, they left a message on the ground: they drew a picture of a house and an arrow.
Tina : What kind of a house? Is it like this?
Joshua : It was a stone house.
Tina : I want to go with them!
Joshua : There were rapids, and they had an accident, they hit some rocks. After that, they made a fire. Jamie had to rest until his leg healed. Awasin left him alone to hunt for small game. Jamie tried to control his anxiety. Then he noticed small birds around and felt less lonely and grateful.
Tina : I want to be with him!
Joshua : What would you have liked to say to Jamie?
Tina : “Don’t give up!”
Joshua : Awasin came back and they enjoyed a four foot long trout. They smoked it over the fire. After a while, the two boys found the stone house. Inside was a sword and a helmet.
Jamie understood that they belonged to vikings. He was excited! Awasin realized that it was a grave site. He was serious.
Jamie : “Vikings must have built this place!”
Awasin : “That is a grave.”
How would you react?
