Mindy Willett

The eighth entry in The Land Is Our Storybook series, intended to highlight the peoples and cultures of Canada's Northwest Territories and Nunavut, No Borders/Kigliqangittuq follows sixteen-year-old Inuit girl and co-author Darla Evyagotailak as she joins her elders on a cross-country journey from Kugluktuk, Nunavut to Ulukhaktok, Northwest Terrirtories, to visit some kin. Copiously illustrated with photographs by Tessa Macintosh (who is the photographer for the entire series), the book explores such topics as family structure - Darla is raised by her grand-parents, whom she calls Mother and Dad, rather than her biological mother - subsistence practices out on the land, and some of the after-effects of colonialism. The latter includes language loss, the loss of such customs as face tattooing, and the high suicide rate resulting from what Darla describes as a general sense of "sadness" in her community. The book ends with Darla's determination to keep learning about her people's traditions and way of life...

Having now read all eight titles currently available in this series, I think it's interesting to note that the books have become more political over time. The previous entry, Raymond Taniton's At the Heart of It / Dene dzó t'áré, in which the native co-author was an adult man, rather than a young person, is probably the most political of the lot, but No Borders / Kigliqangittuq also explores some political issues, including the division of the Northwest Territories in two, and the creation of Nunavut. I continue to find the format of these books engaging, and appreciate the glimpse they offer into peoples and cultures far from where I live, and far removed from my own cultural background. I'm certainly glad this series exists, and that it provides that window to young readers around North America. Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed other entries in this non-ficiton series, as well as to those searching for children's books about Inuit people in the here and now.… (altro)

Raymond Taniton, a Sahtugot'ine man - the Sahtugot'ine are a band of Dene from Sahtú, or Great Bear Lake - joins forces with co-author Mindy Willett in this seventh installment of The Land Is Our Storybook series, intended to highlight the lives of the indigenous peoples of Canada's Northwest Territories. Describing his family, and the history of the Sahtú Region, he explores cultural practices from drum-making to spiritual gatherings, trying to get "at the heart" of what makes his community successful. He discusses treaty rights, and shares two traditional stories from his father, Alfred Taniton. The first, "Sahtú k'aowe" (The Lake Is the Boss), explains the nature of Gorabe Island, while the second, "Tudze or Waterheart," explores the great power that the Sahtugot'ine believe is at the center of their lake. Mention is also made of the prophets who influenced how the people celebrate their religion (they are Roman Catholic), as is the cultural hero Yamoria, mentioned as Yambahdéyaa in Come and Learn With Me / Éwo, séh Kedįdįh, about the Dene Yatie. An afterword gives a list of terms, and a timeline.

Although At the Heart of It / Dene dzó t'áré is something of a departure from some of the other books in The Land Is Our Storybook series that I have read, in that the indigenous co-author is not a young person, I nevertheless found it every bit as informative and engaging as previous titles, and think it will still have plenty of child appeal. The topics covered seem a bit more historical and political than in other entries in the series, and except for the section on drum-making, there is far less about the material activities that produce food, clothing and other goods for the people. That said, what is covered is quite fascinating, and the change in thematic focus feels quite welcome. As someone interested in folklore, I found the traditional stories most engrossing, and was pleased to see another reference to Yamoria. The page on leaders mentioned George Blondin as a story collector and author - I will have to see if I can track down any of his books. All in all, an engaging addition to this worthy series!… (altro)

Nine-year-old Sheyenne Jumbo, a young Dene Yatie girl from the village of Sambaa K'e (Trout Lake) in Canada's Northwest Territories, narrates this fourth installment of Mindy Willett's The Land Is Our Storybook series, intended to highlight the diverse indigenous cultures of the region. Readers follow along as Sheynee takes them through "Culture Days," a two-week period in the autumn in which children are excused from school in order to help their elders with traditional tasks. This is "the season of the moose," and the preparation of drymeat and of moose skins form one portion of what the Dene do during this period. So too does making birchbark and spruce-root baskets, picking berries, snaring rabbits, and gathering medicinal plants. In each of these activities, Sheyenne has an elder and family member to show her the right way to do things...

Both engaging and educational, Come and Learn With Me / Éwo, séh Kedįdįh is an enoyable entry in The Land Is Our Storybook series, which I have truly come to appreciate. These books offer a child's-eye-view of cultures that will be unfamiliar to many young readers, and present native peoples in the here and now, rather than in some historical or mythological setting, as was so often the case, in books of the past. I enjoyed the positive, upbeat tone here, and the opportunity to learn a bit about this group of Dene people. The book was published in 2010, so Sheyenne Jumbo is a young woman by now - hopefully still enjoying life in Sambaa K'e, and telling her stories. I greatly appreciated the inclusion of two of her written stories here, one of which won an awards. How fun that her "Clean Socks" was inspired by Canadian picture-book author Robert Munsch's Smelly Socks! As someone interested in folklore, I was also interested in her story about the folk hero Godęhlecho: "The Giant Who Formed Trout Lake." I would love to learn more about Godęhlecho and his brother, Yambahdéyaa, who gave the Dene their laws, which are partially reproduced at the back, and can be found in George Blondin's Trail of the Spirit: The Mysteries of Medicine Power Revealed.

All in all, a wonderful book, both informative and entertaining, with plenty of appealing color photographs of Sheyenne and her community, and an afterword with a list of Dene words, the Dene Laws, and instructions for making a paper berry basket. Recommended to anyone who has enjoyed other entries in this series, as well as to those looking for children's books about Canada's First Nations people.… (altro)

“No Borders: Kigliqangittuq” is about Darla Evyagotailak, a 16 year-old girl, and her Inuit community. The book mostly traces Darla’s journey with her family from Kugluktuk, the town she lives in, and Ulukhaktok, the town her great-grandparents grew up in, and in which many of her elders still live. The journey takes place over land and frozen sea, and along the way her family teaches her a lot about traditional survival skills and the landscape. Once they reach Ulukhaktok, Darla spends time with her elders, and here the reader gets a glimpse of the current effects of colonialism on the people: Darla cannot speak her traditional language, and because of this, there is an intergenerational disconnect with her great-great grandmother- they cannot communicate with one another verbally; insights into intergenerational trauma are brought about as Darla tries to understand the “sadness” around her, the issues of suicide within her community, and the talk of the elders about what they had to give up for the life the community has now. It would be interesting to see a book for older readers in which Darla finds the answers she’s looking for.

The book offers maps, pictures, language excerpts, and explanations as supplements to Darla's story, providing additional pieces of information on regional divides, family ties, and traditions the reader can interact with. The pictures and explanations act in an intriguing show-and-tell format when explaining the history and culture of Darla and her community. The photography brings the reader right along for the ride, as we see the land as her storybook!… (altro)