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The Drums of Change describes the inevitable and crushing changes that were forced among the Indian peoples by the Protestant Church during the time of great upheaval with the establishment of reserves and mission schools. It details the story of Running Fawn who is sent from the reserve to the mission school in the city to learn and bring back knowledge to her people. This departure from her normal life terrifies Running Fawn who loves her people and their camps and desperately does not want to leave them. Will she gather enough resolve and bravery in her heart to do as the chief desires and attend the school? What of the chief’s son, Silver Fox, who seems so willing to leave the camp and attend the school? How can he so willingly abandon his own people? While Running Fawn wants to reach out to him for friendship and companionship. she resents him for his willingness to leave his people and to learn of the white man’s God. She despises his choice and refuses to let him tell of his knowledge of this new God. When she finds herself in trouble, it is Silver Fox who comes to her aid. Will she allow him to teach her and show her of his love for his God? Will God be able to melt her frozen heart before she returns to her people?


This was a sad story of the changes forced upon the Indians during that time of great upheaval. Some Indian Chiefs chose to make use of the mission schools by sending people to learn the white man’s ways, rightly seeing that that was the only direction left to them now that they were limited to small reserves. Janette Oke gently tells the story of hurt and frustration, weaving in God’s redeeming qualities throughout it all. Nonetheless a terrible experience, it is told with empathy and great compassion for the Indian people. I enjoyed it and would recommend reading it for the great story it is as well as for the history it depicts.