pickA hybrid queer fictional memoir / true history of North America—from creation of the universe to Canada‘s confederation in 1867—told from a Cree Indigenous worldview. Miss Chief is a supernatural, all-gender shapeshifter with a talent for lovemaking. The story is sexy, tongue-in-cheek, and eye-opening. The physical book is beautifully designed & full of Monkman‘s gorgeous artwork. The audiobook is read by Cree-speaker Gail Maurice. Both are 👌😍
Throughout this text, Cree words are printed in red (there‘s a glossary at the back) and there are references to the many notes in the appendix.
Our muscular bodies still entwined & radiating heat, I whispered to him that otôtêmihtowin* was not limited to human beings. “Do not take more than you need,” I said, kissing him tenderly. “Respect all creatures & also the land. Tell Your people.” He nodded, assuring me that he would, but I was not convinced he had understood, so I kept spreading the word in the way I knew best.
*respectful openness & acceptance of others; friendship, diplomacy
She inquired about my heels. I explained that my shoes were not like the shoes of human beings. They contained power, and to me felt like moccasins; besides, I liked the pink on the bottom, like the paw pads of my dear older brother Wîsahkêcâhk.
Shawn and I talked about some of the many GG award finalists (including the tagged novel):
https://youtu.be/IcC2susP_VA
I‘m about half way through this book and it is amazing. This book is really designed to connect with the readers and weaves in historical facts in a way that really does make an impact. I HIGHLY recommend reading this one, Litsy!
pickThis was a great follow up read for the last book I reviewed here about “le grand dérangement.” It certainly helped fill in more blanks for me regarding family lore. It turns out that Acadians were shipped not only to other British colonies, but to Britain itself with many migrating to find lost family members in other colonies, migrating to France and then migrating out again as part of some ill-fated colonial endeavor…
pickAs a descendant of the Acadians myself, I waited far too long to learn about this pivotal event in history. When I was small, my Cajun family had always told me about how we as a French offshoot came to be in Louisiana, the expulsion from Canada, “le grand dérangement,” but it was so distant in collective memory, it was a sort of legend and was in a tl;dr format. I hadn‘t thought much about it, but I finally decided I‘d like to know the details.
pickSpicy textbook, resilient lament.
Not as knowledgeable as I should be, but I gather it is a blend of historical events, spiritual Cree beliefs about the nature of the world, connection to the land, a fierce counter to the tragic and biased perspectives that have dominated mainstream histories of Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island after first contact with white colonists, and an exploration of how art tries to communicate, 1/2
