Of spirit and history
Pat St. Germain explores books by Indigenous writers.
Bone Black Carol Rose Goldeneagle (Daniels) Nightwood Editions
When Wren Strongeagle’s twin sister Raven goes missing after a night out, Wren finds herself in the same position as countless other family members of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Distraught over her sister’s disappearance, she’s also frustrated at the lackadaisical response from police, and angry at the lack of political action. So she does something about it, undertaking her own investigation and following up by punishing the perpetrators. Carol Rose Goldeneagle (Daniels), who is Cree/ Dene, also wrote the acclaimed 2015 novel Bearskin Diary.
Crow Winter Karen Mcbride Harperavenue
Algonquin Anishinaabe writer Karen Mcbride puts a supernatural twist on a familiar plot scenario in her debut novel. A woman returns to her hometown and stumbles upon a mystery that needs solving, with a little help from a new friend. In this case, home is Spirit Bear Point First Nation, where Hazel Ellis is still struggling to come to terms with her father’s death two years earlier. And her new friend appears in the form of a trickster, an old crow who speaks to Hazel in her dreams and claims he’s come to help her. Trouble is, Hazel doesn’t realize she needs help, until she discovers potentially sinister secrets involving an old, abandoned quarry on her father’s property.
The North-west is Our Mother: The Story of Louis Riel’s People, The Métis Nation Jean Teillet Harpercollins Canada
Vancouver-based Indigenous-rights lawyer and author Jean Teillet’s great-grand-uncle, Louis Riel, was born 175 years ago, on Oct. 22, 1844. But while Riel is considered the Métis Father of Confederation, his lifetime covers a relatively short span in the history of the Métis Nation. Teillet’s history, told from the perspective of “a new Indigenous people,” whose ancestors were European and Indigenous, spans a couple of centuries, from the late 1700s to the present day.
One Drum: Stories and Ceremonies for a Planet Richard Wagamese Douglas & Mcintyre
Before he died in 2017, writer Richard Wagamese had been working on a collection of stories and ceremonies based on the seven Grandfather Teachings of Ojibwa culture. One Drum focuses on three teachings — humility, respect and courage — and contains ceremonies readers can perform, as well as stories.
Author of 15 books, Wagamese was born in 1955 in northwestern Ontario. He was placed in a foster home as part of the ’60s Scoop, but grew to embrace a spiritual connection to his roots. According to his publisher, he “believed that there is a shaman in each of us,” and that ceremony has the power to unify, making us “one drum beating together in a common purpose.”