Celebrate Indigenous culture with books for Tara Gereaux, Monique Gray Smith, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, Mildred Poplar and Roy Henry Vickers
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Celebrations and events are being held across the country this month to mark National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21).
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Communities everywhere will be dedicating events to recognize the history, heritage, and resilience of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. National Indigenous History Month is also a time for reflection on the impacts of colonization, and a chance to learn more about and support the reconciliation process.
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A great way to recognize and celebrate National Indigenous History Month is to support Indigenous creatives. To help with that, here is a list of five recent books from Indigenous authors with a B.C. connection to check out.
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Sun Spots
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Wild People Quiet, by Tara Gereaux (Scribner Canada)
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A former UBC MFA student and a citizen of the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, Gereaux grew up knowing her grandfather was Métis. But she was told to tell others the family was French. From that experience comes the novel Wild People Quiet.
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Set in 1946 in rural Saskatchewan, the story focuses on Florence Banks, a soft-spoken Métis woman who has been passing herself off as white. Her carefully curated existence begins to crumble when a group of Métis labourers arrive in her small prairie town. Soon, Florence finds herself forced to pick between the life she has been living and the truth of her history.
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Sharing the Light: Stories and Reflections, by Monique Gray Smith (House of Anansi Press)
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Based near Victoria, award-winning and bestselling author/educator Monique Gray Smith, who is of Cree, Lakota and Scottish descent, has written 12 books for all age ranges of readers. Her latest, the national bestseller Sharing The Light: Stories And Reflections, asks readers to take a beat or two and think about their lives and re-connect with their “inner light” through the lens of five transformative practices — gratitude, love, joy, happiness and hope.
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A combination of short stories, reflections and questions, Sharing The Light is not only a thoughtful read, but it is a book that can be revisited repeatedly as a source of guidance and some good old-fashion inspiration as we all try to figure out how to navigate the crazy, unpredictable world we live in.
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The Lost Haida Manga: A Compendium, by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre) — Out June 2
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Celebrated contemporary Haida artist and author Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas delivers a new collection that traces the origins of Haida manga — an artistic style and storytelling format he created that combines traditional Pacific Northwest Coast Haida iconography (such as formline) with contemporary Japanese graphic novels.
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Through black-and-white ink works The Lost Haida Manga: A Compendium sets themes ranging from the impacts of colonialism, the environment, and Indigenous sovereignty in a visually stunning graphic world.
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Why Our Lands Are Not For Sale: The Inside Story of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, by Mildred C. Poplar (Medicine Wheel Publishing) — Out June 2
