When the Owl Calls Your Name

Alan Syliboy, Mi’kmaq writer, artist, musician and filmmaker from the Millbrook First Nation in Nova Scotia, imparts Indigenous teachings about death and passing into the spirit world in this moving, sensitively told picture book.

When the Owl Calls Your Name is an extended version of Syliboy’s spoken word song “The Owl Song” which he performs with his band Alan Syliboy & The Thundermakers. The conversational text speaks directly to the reader, immediately creating a personal connection: “They say when the owl calls your name, that the Creator is calling you home. When the owl has your name, he will come looking for you wherever you are. And when the owl comes to you, he sits and waits until your final breath.” The calm narrative tone has an unhurried pace and offers room for reflection.

The reader is invited to delve into realms beyond words. Wordless spreads chart the dream-like progress of a spirit as it leaves Earth, follows the owl high into the star-filled sky, and prepares for the journey back to the Creator and to the next life.

Syliboy’s breathtaking artwork is inspired by the Indigenous petroglyph tradition and ancient Mi’kmaw engravings. The striking, double-page spreads are full of symbols, intricate patterns, and strong lines. At the beginning of the book, when the owl comes face-to-face with the soon-to-be-deceased, the images appear static and are in black and white. When the spirit begins to leave the body and the Earth, vibrant bursts of purple, green and yellow break through, and the succeeding scenes in the afterlife are full of colour, warmth and movement.

The spirit is never alone and is warmly welcomed by “the ancient ones” who arrived before: “And you sit with them by the council fire. There’s a place here waiting for you.” No one can know exactly when our time of death will come, since the owl “flies on silent wings.” The prescient message delivered is: “So you must live your life in such a way/That you will be ready for the owl when he calls your name.”

In an end note, Syliboy explains the crossing-over process in Mi’kmaw culture and offers personal reflections. Death is a part of life, yet a topic often hard to talk about. When the Owl Calls Your Name, an eloquent, powerful picture book, invites contemplation and conversation.