Learning to speak the language that your grandparents spoke is a precious gift for many people. This is especially true for Indigenous people, many of whom lost their languages as a result of colonialism. Last week (October 1-7) was First Nations Public Library Week in Ontario, a great time to explore Indigenous languages. Here are... Continue Reading →
Anishinabek Employment and Training Services (AETS) and Thunder Bay Public Library (TBPL) Partnership
Libraries are about freedom. Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom of communication. They are about education (which is not a process that finishes the day we leave school or university), about entertainment, about making safe spaces, and about access to information. -Neil Gaiman, 2013 Under the direction and collaboration of both the TBPL Board... Continue Reading →
Tales From Big Spirit (Series) by David Alexander Robertson
I have been a fan of David Alexander Robertson since I read his 7 Generations graphic novel series a few years ago. Recently I stumbled upon his graphic novel series for a younger audience called “Tales from Big Spirit”. Each book is about a prominent First Nations person from history and teaches the reader about... Continue Reading →
Medicine River by Thomas King ” A Snapshot in Time”
The set up for Thomas King’s “Medicine River” is deceptively simple: our protagonist, Will, initially returns home to the small Albertan reserve, Medicine River, to attend his mother’s funeral. At Will’s surprise, an old acquaintance from his past persuades him to permanently stay in Medicine River. What follows is Will’s return to his hometown, and... Continue Reading →
Helpless: Caledonia’s Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us by Christie Blatchford
If you have never ventured into the quagmire of First Nations and Canadian issues, laws, acts and history, then this book is NOT for you; it is not a good place to start. In 2006, Native people from Six Nations blockaded a land development operation because they assert that that land rightfully belongs to the... Continue Reading →
The Indian Commissioners: Agents of the State and Indian Policy in Canada’s Prairie West, 1873-1932 by Brian Titley (University of Alberta Press, 2009)
The myth of the indolent Injun is not new; in fact, that idea goes back to circa 1800. In the 1700's, when slavery was still legal, the new world was still new and Indian Residential Schools weren't yet even an experiment. At that time, Native people often adopted, traded with and fought alongside (and therefore... Continue Reading →
For Joshua, an Ojibway Father Teaches His Son by Richard Wagamese
Wagamese is a gifted writer and writing has been his way of surving being down and out and his way to the upper echelon of Canadian literature. In For Joshua, Wagamese writes a poignant story to his (estranged) son, not asking for forgiveness, but for an attempt at understanding and an attempt at teaching. Wagamese... Continue Reading →
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