Artefact 4

Final Project

Using Indigenous Picture Books to connect to Indigenous Ways of Knowing

INST 511: Indigenous Knowledge and Education

June 3 2023

 

I first came across the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) while working in a children’s museum during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings. They are a non-profit organization that represents an international network of people around the world who are committed to bringing books and children together. In 2008 they released From Sea to Sea to Sea, a collection of 100 picture books for children. Having access to such a large collection made me realize how little I knew about Indigenous education, Indigenous authors and Indigenous lessons within these books. IBBY was founded in the wake of World War II to bridge cultures and promote peace (Ibby.org, 2022). How does an extensive list of Indigenous children’s books help us further connect and understand Indigenous World Views, The Land, Language, Education and Family? Knowing the power of education, can an extensive list like this one help our understanding of contemporary Indigenous Issues? The list includes information on how to use the collection, they mention that the list “reflects the most current attitudes and approaches to Indigenous literature today” From Sea to Sea to Sea (IPBC Catalog 2021). The lists warns that some topics may be difficult for readers and that when using the list, one must be prepared with strategies for facilitating and encouraging discussions that will prepare, engage and inform readers. Children’s literature is a fantastic entry point into Indigenous education as it can help with the developmental and socialization process. Through rhythm, sound, images, texts, rhymes, characters, animals and known objects, children’s interests can peak by connecting to any of these categories.  Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous parents or education can use these books as entry ways to Indigenous learning which may include difficult topics.

 

LAND

 

With descriptive language, and vivid imagery the books in the IBBI list paint a picture about the sacred connection between Indigenous People and the land. According to, Blackfoot ways of Knowledge by Betty Bastine (2004) Blackfoot epistemology extends from “seeing understanding of the complex levels of kinship relations that constitute a cosmic world of balance and harmony (Bastine, 2004. p.24) Hansen (2018) notes “land-based education has taught people lessons for living for thousands of years”. Indigenous peoples understand the connection to the land and the necessity to take care of it.  “The elders emphasize the sacredness of the Earth, and in particular the sacredness of the Peoples’ Island – North America – that was given to the peoples to live on. The Elders say that the Creator gave the First Nations peoples the land in North America. The Elders maintain that the land belongs to their peoples and their peoples belong to the land. The land, waters, and all life-giving forces in North America were, and are, an integral part of the sacred relationship with the Creator” (p.11) 

There are many books from Sea to Sea to Sea that highlight Indigenous sacred relationships to the land. First is The Eagle Mother (Huson, 2020) which tells the story of the Gitxsan people and their relationship to the land, the salmon, and their home in Xsan, the River of Mists. By following the Eagle Mother on her journey to capture food, we see the illustrated landscape from an aerial viewpoint. As an epilogue, the author further investigates the Gitxsan’s people’s connection to the river. The next book that highlights a strong connection to the land is Sus Yoo/The Bear’s Medicine (Gauthier, 2019), the story follows two bears interacting with the land highlighting how each aspect nurtures them, from the warmth of the sun to the taste of the berries. Every aspect of the landscape is described as interconnected with other aspects, highlighting these gifts of the earth as “medicine”. This book was particularly effective in the way it showed how important all aspects of the land were, illustrating how these elements should be respected, exemplifying their careful use shown as a piece of a larger ecosystem. In Western views, respecting the land is showing dominion over it, in Indigenous ways of knowing that land has autonomy while simultaneously being interwoven with everything else.  The book, Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock (2018) shows a young child accidentally losing her grandmother’s famous Bannock. The animals in the forest take turns giving her each individual ingredient as a gift. This simple lighthearted story illustrates the importance of the land, how materials in the environment are gifts while also encoding the step-by-step process of making Bannock. Lastly, Tanna’s Owl (2019) is the story of a young girl who raises a young snowy owl. It is clear throughout the story that this is not a pet, that animals don’t belong to people, they belong to themselves and the land. Elder Danny Musqua said, “Because, if any man owns a piece of the Earth, then he no more respects the Earth because he believes he can do what he wants with that Earth and he can destroy it, he can do whatever he wants. That’s the reason why we don’t own the Earth because it belongs to all people. For the purposes of that we cannot own the Earth. We were willing to share it.” (Cardinal & Hildebrandt, 2001: 630). Many of the books in the list paired with imaginative illustrations depicted the land with respect and reverence. Some even used traditional ancient imagery. The rhythm of the language echoed one walking on the land or flying in the sky. In many books the notion of land as place of remembrance was shown, it was most evident in the book, The Train (2020) and The Bear’s Medicine (2019) where the altered land was used to highlight events of the past. 

LANGUAGE

Many Indigenous languages are slowly becoming extinct, while countless dialects have already been lost. In 2019 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages to draw attention to the many surviving Indigenous languages and advocate for resources aiding their preservation, revitalization and promotion (UNESCO, 2021). Children’s books that introduce Indigenous languages are vital to the preservation of Indigenous language. Even for non-Indigenous people, they offer alternative viewpoints – understanding language is a major part of understanding each other’s cultures. Many of the books in the list are translated from Indigenous languages, some introduce Indigenous words and use the context surrounding that word to illustrate its meaning. One of my favourite books that dealt with language learning was, It’s a Mitig! (2020). The book introduced a variety of Ojibwe words as riddles. The text would set up a poem and the answer is presented in Ojibwe with an illustration to go along with the riddle. I enjoyed the pace and rhythm of this book so much that I found myself reading it several times. When learning languages repetition is extremely important and this book was written in a way where repetition was enjoyable. 

Some books told origin stories and many mentioned that in the beginning of time, words had magic and could become what they were. Even the bible says that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. I have heard many interpretations and analysis of that line; they all illustrate the power of language. During the pandemic, I finally had time to read One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967). There is an interesting passage that talks about everyone slowly forgetting language. They first try to write the names of things, but soon forget how to read. Throughout the book the notion of forgetting and relearning is explored, the passage about the town forgetting language resonated with me as English is my second language. As I have grown up in Canada, I no longer think in Spanish. Through early literacy books, caregivers engage with their children, and they read the words on the page, they are the experts imparting knowledge to their children. Through the readings this semester, we learned how the Dene Tha’ Elders translate knowledge to others through Indigenous language by sharing stories and daily conversations. The language used during the communication provides others with learning opportunities and allows them to search for their own answers while creating knowledge through their own experience (Goulet, 1994). In the book, I Lost My Talk (2019) Poet Rita Wilson discusses the profound effects of having lost her language during her years at residential schools. Originally this poem was written in 1978, it has been reprinted with, I am finding my Talk (2019) which discusses the author’s many ways that she is reconnecting with her culture, and slowly reclaiming it “one world at a time. Both books published together reconnect the conversation across generations.  

EDUCATION 

Knowledge is generated for the purpose of maintaining the relationships that strengthen and protect the health and well being of individuals and of the collective in a cosmic universe (Bastien, 2004. p. 25).  For the Dene people, relationships are crucial to education and learning because they operate, and function based off their close family and kinship ties. Education is delivered to the Dene at a very early age and involves sacred and formal rituals. Not only is the family involved in passing on Dene traditions and lived experiences, but the community is also involved. Children are taught values like sharing, respect and promoting the well-being of the community over themselves. “Their faith and culture, an integrated whole, governed their lives” (Goulet, 1994) Dene children are taught that everything is shared and that individuals must contribute to the Dene culture and community responsibly.  This is true for many Indigenous cultures in Canada. “The distinctive features of Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy are learning by observation and doing, learning through authentic experiences and individualized instruction, and learning through authentic experiences and individualized instruction, and learning through enjoyment.” (Battiste, 2002:18) Storytelling provides an important opportunity for teaching and learning, thus transferring knowledge about “ancestral and contemporary connections to place” (Corntassel, Chaw-win-is, & T’lakwadzi, 2009).  Metaphors are often utilized as ways of articulating complex social and historical events to teach the lived experience when the “existing language is not capable of adequately describing the topic term or the listener does not possess the necessary language to understand the topic term” (Jensen, 2006). 

         The first book from the list that I will highlight is In my Anaana’s Amautik (2020). Through imaginative illustration and Inuktitut words, we learn about the connection between a young child and the warmth and safety that they find in the mother’s Amautik. The strong bond created through infancy begins the important lifelong learning connection that parents and caregivers share with the children. I found The girl and the Wolf (2019) to be a significant book about knowing. This story involves a young girl that is separated from her mother while berry picking and spends the night in the company of a wolf who helps her remember all the lessons her family has taught her about surviving on the land by herself. All of the books on the list provide lessons through their engagement. Some provide instruction, like in Awasis and the World famous Bannock (2018), How I Survived Four Nights on the Ice (2020), and Lowanpi Mato’s Tipi (2020). Others show the importance of intergenerational learning such as When we are Kind (2020), Birdsong (2019) and The Train (2020). The Train (2020) is an extremely important book as it not only deals with intergenerational learning but also deals with intergenerational healing. My favourite line from this book is when the grandfather looks at the landscape and where the old train tracks were and says that he is “I am waiting for what we lost to come back to us” and at that moment his granddaughter takes his hand and tells him she will wait as well. Each book has several lessons which highlight the “distinctive features of indigenous knowledge and pedagogy” (Battiste, 2002, p. 18). Some do this by showing observation, others by doing. Some do it by highlighting authentic experiences and individualized instruction, and some through the enjoyment of reading the words on the page. 

FAMILY

The importance of family connections is a universal trait that we all share. For the Metis “family units go beyond the traditional nuclear family living together in one house. Families are extensive networks of strong, connective kinship; they are often entire communities” (CITE) The concept of family was the basis of all relationships within the community encouraging a sense of place and stability. Many towns were built on families joining together through common family lines such as sisters and their husbands. Teaching was done within the family and first lessons were about how to be a good relative. Each person had a responsibility and skill that was able to be valued by the community when a family framework was created to allow this cooperation to be reciprocal. The interlinking of families allowed an individual to have many teachers at different points in their life depending on the needs, interests, and talents of that person as they grew and changed. A shared collective knowledge that was based on the land and place was able to thrive and continue through this expansive and inclusive approach to the concept of family. Aboriginal women – Cree, Dene, and then Metis – grounded their families in their homelands, creating a sense of belonging to the territory through a regionally defined matrilocal residence pattern and, therefore, female-centred family networks. (MacDougal, p. 444). One of the books from the collection that showed the importance of family while also teaching the different names for family members is, Wahhogicobi: Kingship terms to make relations with each other (2020). Children might not notice how the names for different members are the same (for example, uncle and father), and they may not notice how the word “Kinship” is used in the place of “family”. The words are presented in a fun sing-song style, and these subtle lessons begin to reframe how one thinks of our kinship relationships. 

WORLD VIEW

One of the Indigenous guiding principles has to do with the natural law of reciprocity- which deals with the connections between relatives and with those who cohabit the land (Bastien, 2004, p.59). Since infancy, children are taught that their lives are interdependent and interconnected with nature (Bastien, 2004 pg.59). The Blackfoot emphasize the importance of traditional knowledge and sacred science being passed onto future generations.  Knowledge, responsibilities and relationships are pivotal elements in the Blackfoot epistemology.  Bastien summarizes this by saying, “By knowing one’s place in the cosmic universe, we form intricate alliances with the world coming from Ihtsipaitapiiyo’pa. From these relationships arises an intricate constitution of Kiitomohpiipotokoi that forms the identity of Siksikaitsitapi. Through these responsibilities we, as Niitsitapi, come to know who we are in the universe; these responsibilities become the source of knowing our place [Mokaksin]” (Bastien, 2004, p. 80). This is a huge concept to be able to articulate within children’s literature, however there are several books on the list that encapsulate this with elegance and creativity. First, is The Bear’s Medicine (2019), it is worth mentioning again how wonderfully it illustrates the interconnectedness of the world and everyone in it.  

For the Blackfoot and for many other Indigenous cultures the circle is an important symbol. In many of these books the symbol of the circle appears in the illustrative forms such as those written and illustrated by Leah Marie Dorion in How the moon came to be (2018) and Metis Camp Circle: A Bison Culture Way of Life. The circle also appears in the illustrative work of Elder Norman Chartlan in Meennunyakaa/Blueberry Patch (2019). The circle implies equity and participation of those present and also represents the circular patterns found in nature, such as the four seasons and the four elements as well as the four sacred medicines. (CITE). The change of seasons is also expressed in several of the books in the list including Birdsong (2019), The Bear’s Medicine (2019), Tanna’s Owl (2019) and The Pencil (2018). 

These books do not set out to impart the incredible knowledge that they do, they are small pieces of a huge world filled with lessons. It is important to gather collections like these, as looking for individual books without this support is not easy. Through this collection. readers can connect to the concept of the importance of the land. Regardless of where one lives, the illustrations and the words display a sense of reverence. The creativity and artistry from the Illustrators showcase a variety of viewpoints, as well as reflecting the changing seasons. Many of the books in the list include language lessons, some are completely translated while others play with language in creative ways. The stories highlight intergenerational education, with elders and parents teaching the characters stories within the books, and sometimes the lessons leap from the page to teach the reader something important about contemporary Indigenous issues. As a non-Indigenous person, I learned many lessons while reading these books, I have used them in my classroom and will continue to use them as enjoyable, playful and sometimes heartwarming introductions to wider Indigenous education. 

 

 

 

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Reference

 

Athabascan University. (2013). Unit 1. Critical Indigenous Education. In INST 511 Study Guide, pages 11-13 and 18. Retrieved from https://cde.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/view.php?id=88830

 

Athabasca University. (2013). Unit 3. The Neheyiwak (Cree) Peoples. In INST 511 Study Guide. Retrieved from https://cde.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/book/view.php?id=88846

 

Athabasca University. (2013). Unit 4: The Metis Nation. In INST 511 Study Guide. Retrieved from https://cde.lms.athabascau.ca/mod/resource/view.php?id=88853 

 

Athabasca University. (2013). Unit 5. The Dene Tha’ Peoples. In INST 511 Study Guide. Retrieved from https://cde.lms.athabascau.ca/etc.

 

Athabasca University. (2013). Unit 7. Applying the Knowledge. In INST 511 Study Guide. Retrieved from http://cde.lms.athabascau.ca/etc.

 

Bastien, B. (2004). Blackfoot ways of knowing: The world view of the Siksikaitsitapi (pp.x– 34, 77-150), Calgary: University of Calgary Press.

http://www.fourdirectionsteachings.com/blackfoot_jr.pdf  

 

Battiste, M. (2002). Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy in First Nations education: A literature review with recommendations. (Report prepared for the National Working Group on Education and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada). Ottawa: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. Retrieved from www.afn.ca/uploads/files/education/24._2002_oct_marie_battiste_indigenousknowledgeandpedagogy_lit_review_for_min_working_group.pdf

Cardinal, H., & Hildebrandt, W. (2001). Treaty Elders of Saskatchewan: Our dream is that our peoples will one day be clearly recognized as nations. Calgary: University of Calgary Press.

 

Chartrand, P.L.A.H. (2007). Niw_hk_m_kanak (“all my relations”): Metis-First Nations relations. Research Paper for the National Centre for First Nations Governance. Retrieved fromhttp://fngovernance.org/ncfng_research/paul_chartrand.pdf  

 

Corntassel, Chaw-win-is, & T’lakwadzi. (2009). Indigenous storytelling, truth-telling, and community approaches to reconciliation. English Studies in Canada, 137–159.

 

From Sea to Sea to Sea (2021). Celebrating Indiginous Picture Books. https://www.ibby-canada.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021_FromSeaToSeaToSea_IPBC_Catalogue_Final_LoRes_R1.pdf

 

Goulet, J.A. (1994). Ways of knowing: Towards a narrative ethnography of experiences among the Dene Tha. Journal of Anthropological Research, 50(2), 113-129.

 

Hansen, J (2018), “Cree Elders’ Perspectives on Land-Based Education: A Case Study”, Brock Education: A Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 28(1) p74-91.

 

Huson, B. (2020) The Eagle Mother (Donovan, N, Illus). Highwater Press.

Avigaq,S (2018) The Pencil (Chua.C Illus.). Inhabit Media

 

International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). (2022, July 29). https://www.ibby.org/about/what-is-ibby#

 

Jensen, D. F. N. (2006). Metaphors as a bridge to understanding educational and social contexts. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2–17.

 

MacDougall, B. (2006). Wahkootowin: Family and cultural identity in northwestern Saskatchewan Metis communities. The Canadian Historical Review, 87(3), 431–462. This is available through the AU Library.

 

Marquez, G. G., & Rabassa, G. (2006). One Hundred Years of Solitude (Harper Perennial Modern Classics) (Reprint ed.). Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

Talaga, T. (2019). The Power of Indigenous Kinship”. https://thewalrus.ca/the-power-of-indigenous-kinship/

 

UNESCO. (2021, March 23). Indigenous Languages Decade. https://en.unesco.org/idil2022-2032

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix

 

Book	Author	LAND	LANGUAGE	EDUCATION	WORLD VIEW	Theme
The Pencil (2018)	Susan Avigaq (Inuit)   Illustrated: Charlene Chua	Living in the North in the 1960s Living in Igloos in	Inuit- uses Inuktitut syllabics ANAANA (mother) ATAATA (father) ANAANATSIAQ  (grandma) IGLOO Dome shaped house made with blocks of snow INUKSHOOK Stone markers QULLIQ Oil burning lamp	parents giving information their children Talks about tools for cleaning skins and for sewing  Parents teaching their children how to practice writing on the ice in the windows	Using things wisely, because they are so difficult to acquire.
The Train (2020)	Jodie Callaghan [Migmaq]   Illustrated: Georgia Lesley [Mi’gmaq]		Mi’gmaq GA’S (the train) GIJU’ (mother) NNU (Indigenous person)	Uncle tells story – tance of story telling Rations – eating raw potatoes		Residential school experience “I am waiting for what we lost to come back to us” Intergenerational healing
Métis Camp Circle: A bison Culture way of life (2019)	Leah Marie Dorion [Métis]	High plains	paskwa^wimostosin (Buffalo- cree) Michif language		Métis cultural symbols	Tells about bison as a keystone species
Bird Song (2019)	Julie Flett [Cree/Métis]	Nature and the seasons	OJO (owl – Cree)   (migrating moon)   (frog moon)		Cree worldview: stories connect to the land, language and story connect us Importance of the seasons	Intergenerational friendship
Bear’s Medicine (2019)	Clayton Gauthier (Cree/Dakelh) And Theresa Austin (Dakelh)		Bilingual in Cree		Giving thanks   Sharing nature The land as medicine    The importance of seasons changing
It’s a Mitig (2020)	Bridget George (Anishimaabe)		Ojibwe nature words   GIIZIS (sun) ASHIGAN (fish) GAAG (Porcupine) GINEBIG (snake) BINESHIINH (bird) AJIDAMOO (squirl) GITIGAAN (garden) MITIG (tree) AMIK (beaver) ZIIBI (river) AAMOO (bee) MITIGOMIN (acorn) DIBIKI-GIIZIS (moon)			Family reading, integrated language learning
Lowanpi Mato’s Tipi	Kim Soo Goodtrack [Hunkpapa Lakota] and Stan Lethbridge [Hunkpapa]					Goes through the steps of building a teepee
When we are kind	Monique Gray Smith [Cree/Lakota]   Illustrated: Nicole Neidhardt (Dine)				Gratitude, kindness
The Eagle Mother (2020)	Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson   Illustrated: Natasha Donovan [Métis]	Gitxsan’s people’s relationship/connection to the land, the salmon, and their home in the Xsan, the river of Mists   It also tells about all the different moons	Xsan language			Motherhood from the perspective of the eagle   Talks about the Gitxsan people their customs and their relationship to the land
Awassis and the world famous Bannock (2018)	Dallas Hunt [Wapisewsipi (Swan River First Nation)].   Illustrated by Amanda Strong {Michif]		Cree words for the ingredients in Bannock			Shares bannock recipe and how to make it
How I Survived: Four NIghts on the Ice (2020)	Serapio Ittusardjuat   Illustrated: Matthew K Hoddy	Northern Canada   Baffin Bay			Strength and determination   Traditional skills and knowledge	Life in the Inuit
I lost my talk (2021)   (originally published in 1978)	Rita Joe [MikMak]		Discusses the loss of language			Discusses the loss of language through residential schools
Blueberry Patch/Meennunyaaka   (2019)	Jennifer Leason    Translated by Norman Chartrand	Describes the land around Duck Bay, Manitoba in the 1940s and the experience of collecting berries in the summer included the journey and the landscape
Wahogicobi: Kinship terms to make relationships with each other (2020)	Nakoda Sioux Language Keepers   Destry Love Roan		Language learning in Nakota Sioux			Discusses all the different names for family members while introducing children to the concept of “all my relations”
Kits, Cubs, And Calves: An Arctic Summer (2020)	Suzie Napayok-Short [Inuit]   Illustrated by Tamara Campeau
Tanna’s Owl (2019)	Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley [Inuit]   Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley [Mohawk]   Illustrated by Yong Lion Kang	Tells of the story of people’s relationship with animals   Tells about how long the days are	Magic of language   Inuktitut words   UKPIK (owl)		All my Relations – how one does not have dominion over the land, instead we all take care of animals and the land by “bringing things together”
The Origin of Day and Night (2018)	Paula Ikuutaq [Inuit]   Illustrated by Lenny Lishchenko		Inuktitut syllabics   Tells about the importance of language, and its origins			Tells origin stories of how day and night came to be
In my Anaana’s Amautik (2020)	Nadia Sammurktok [Inuit]   Illustrated: Lenny Lischenko	Describes the northern landscape and the warmth and safety of the mothers amautik	Inuktitut syllabics
Wolverine and Little thunder: An Eel Fishing story (2018)	Alan Syliboy [Mi’kmaq]				Indigenous practices   Contemporar y invocation of traditional Mi”kmaq knowledge   Traditional fishing methods	The illustrations are mixed media with forms inspired by the Mi’Kmaq petroglyph tradition
Nibi’s Water Song (2019)	Sunshine Tenasco [Chippewa and Potawatomi]   Illustrated by Chief Lady Bird		Anishinaabemowin   NIBI (water)			Deals with water crisis   inaccessibility of clean water
Swift Fox All Along (2020)	Rebecca Thomas [Mi’kmaq]   Illustrated by Maya Mckibbin [Ojibwe, Yoeme, and Irish]			Dad teachers Swift Fox how to be Mi’Kmaq		Intergenerational healing   Identity and belonging   Describes the ingredients in banok
When we had Sled Dogs: A story from the Trapline ācimowin ohci wanihikīskanāhk (2019)	Ida Tremblay [Cree/Nehiyawak] and Miriam Körner   Illustrated by Miriam Korner	Describes the landscape as it changes from summer to winter and what living thought he winter entails in Northern Saskatchewan	Includes some words in Woodland Cree		Traditional way of life	Seasonal Trapline life
May we have enough to share (2019)	Richard Van Camp  [Tłıchǫ]  Photographed by Tea&bannock				Show Gratitude   Shows the strength of connections to the land
The Girl and the Wolf (2019)	Katherena Vermette [Métis]   Illustrated: Julie Flett [Cree/ Métis]	Talks about the land and what it can provide			Discusses lessons about helpful wolves   Lessons about which berries as safe to pick  And lessons about remembering the lessons you already know