Michif

Based on Métis artist Christi Belcourt’s painting “Medicines to Help Us,” this innovative and vibrant resource honours the centuries-old healing traditions of Métis women. With contributions from Métis Elders Rose Richardson and Olive Whitford, as well as key Michif phrases and terminology, Medicines to Help Us is the most accessible resource relating to Métis healing traditions produced to date.

Educator Information
This resource guide does not include the study prints referred to on the back cover and within the book. 

Michif Translators: Laura Burnoff and Rita Flamand

Elder Validation: Rose Richardson

Format: Book Only - English, with plant names in Michif, Nehiyawewin (Cree), and Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway)

This book, and accompanying Vimeo documentary link, is a collection of stories about culture, history, and nationhood as told by Métis women. The Métis are known by many names — Otipemisiwak, “the people who own ourselves;” Bois Brules, “Burnt Wood;” Apeetogosan, “half brother” by the Cree; “half-breed,” historically; and are also known as “rebels” and “traitors to Canada.” They are also known as the “Forgotten People.” Few really know their story.

Many people may also think that Métis simply means “mixed,” but it does not. They are a people with a unique and proud history and Nation. In this era of reconciliation, Stories of Métis Women explains the story of the Métis Nation from their own perspective. The UN has declared this “The Decade of Indigenous Languages” and Stories of Métis Women is one of the few books available in English and Michif, which is an endangered language.

Reviews
"With this book, some of these important and unique perspectives and worldviews about who we are as a people, how we have survived as people and how we will carry on and thrive as a people are shared through the writings of the daughters, mothers, aunties and grandmothers of the Métis Nation. I congratulate the Métis women who have taken the time to share and write down some of this knowledge for generations to come." —­Jason Madden, Métis rights lawyer and citizen of the Métis Nation

Additional Information
240 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | 50 black and white illustrations | Paperback

Call of the Fiddle completes the trilogy of a young boy as he embraces his Métis heritage and carries on his family’s traditions. Wilfred Burton and Anne Patton capture Batoche’s history and significance with their words, while Sherry Farrell Racette brings the land and Métis culture to life with her vibrant illustrations. Join Nolin one last time as he hears the rollicking rhythm of the “Red River Jig,” learns of tearful memories, and experiences the excitement of jigging at Batoche!

Includes a CD with English and Michif Narrations of the Story and Fiddle Music!

Educator & Series Information
The trilogy is composed of these three titles: Fiddle Dancer, Dancing In My Bones, and Call of the Fiddle. 

Michif translations by Normal Fleury.

Additional Information
49 Pages | 27.9 cm x 21.5 cm

Dancing in My Bones, the sequel to the highly successful book Fiddle Dancer, returns us to the story of a young Métis boy named Nolin as he continues to discover his Métis heritage. Lovingly written by Wilfred Burton and Anne Patton and vividly illustrated by Sherry Farrell Racette, Dancing in My Bones will take you on a journey to discover Moushoom's first moose hunt, red lipstick kisses, Uncle Bunny's fiddling, and the return of the "Bannock Jig." But most importantly, by the end of the story, you might feel like you have dancing in your bones!

Includes a CD with English and Michif Narrations of the Story and Fiddle Music!

Educator & Series Information
The trilogy is composed of these three titles: Fiddle Dancer, Dancing In My Bones, and Call of the Fiddle. Dancing in My Bones is the second book in the trilogy.

Michif translations by Normal Fleury.

Additional Information
50 Pages | 27.9 cm H x 21.5 cm W 

Fiddle Dancer tells the tale of a young Métis boy, Nolin, and his growing awareness of his Métis heritage and identity while his "Moushoom," or grandfather, teaches him to dance. Authors Wilfred Burton and Anne Patton masterfully weave a childhood story rich in Métis culture and language. This delightful story captures the importance of Elders as role models, a child's apprehension at learning new things, and the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren. Sherry Farrell Racette provides many beautiful illustrations for the book.

Includes a CD with English and Michif Narrations of the Story and Fiddle Music!

Educator & Series Information
This is the first book in a trilogy composed of these three titles: Fiddle Dancer, Dancing In My Bones, and Call of the Fiddle.

Michif translations by Normal Fleury.

Additional Information
53 Pages | 27.9 cm H x 21.7 cm W

Written and illustrated by award-winning, bestselling Métis author and artist, Leah Marie Dorion. Michif translation by Irma Klyne and Larry Fayant.

Five Senses for Métis Babies, by award-winning, bestselling author, and artist, Leah Marie Dorion, celebrates how we learn our Métis culture through our five senses. As caregivers share authentic and age-appropriate Métis culture, language, music, and heritage, little ones learn about who they are at an early age. It’s never too early to share meaningful cultural experiences with Métis babies so they form a strong sense of Métis identity as they grow up.

Educator Information
Five Senses for Metis Babies is recommended for preschoolers.

Additional Information
20 Pages (10 with text, 10 with images) | Board Book 

During much of the nineteenth century, bison hunting was integral to the Métis’ social, economic, and political life. As “people of the buffalo,” the Métis were bison hunters par excellence. In Métis Camp Circle: A Bison Way of Life, author and artist Leah Marie Dorion transports young readers back in time when bison were the basis of Métis lifeways on the Plains. Vibrantly illustrated and infused with important cultural teachings, this charming book skillfully informs us about this important period of Métis history.

Educator Information
Grade Level: Primary (recommended by Gabriel Dumont Institute).

Dual-language: English and Michif.  Includes a CD with English and Michif narration.

Includes back matter on Bison as a Food Source; Organizing the Bison Hunt; Bison Artefacts; Pemmican; Patrice Fleury Remembrance (on the bison hunt); and more information about the author/illustrator and translator.

Additional Information
43 pages 

The holiday season has always been a very special time for Métis families. A family-oriented people, the Métis often didn’t have money to buy expensive presents, but instead made practical items with much love. In this spirit, award-winning author and illustrator, Leah Marie Dorion takes readers back to the Métis tradition of making mittens for loved ones. Métis Christmas Mittens is a touching ode to Métis family life is accompanied by Leah’s distinctive and evocative art.

Educator Information
Michif Translation by Norman Fleury 
Format: English/Michif

Leah Marie Dorion’s My First Métis Lobstick takes young readers back to Canada’s fur trade era by focusing on a Métis family’s preparations for a lobstick celebration and feast in the boreal forest. Through the eyes of a young boy, we see how important lobstick making and ceremony was to the Métis community. From the Great Lakes to the present-day Northwest Territories, lobstick poles—important cultural and geographical markers, which merged Cree, Ojibway, and French-Canadian traditions—dotted the landscape of our great northern boreal forest. This little-known aspect of Métis history vividly comes to life through Leah Marie Dorion’s crisp prose and stunning gallery-quality artwork.

Educator Information
This is a dual-language picture book delivered in English and Michif.  It includes a CD.

Additional Information 
72 pages | 10.98" x 8.54" | Michif translation by Normal Fleury

My Little Métis Sleepy Horse is a bedtime story in a board book format that is best read aloud by adult caregivers to small children. Horse stories are an important theme in Métis oral history and telling horse-themed stories can help reconnect children to their Métis cultural roots on the high plains. Award-winning, bestselling author, and artist, Leah Marie Dorion captures our connection to horses through her vivid paintings.

Educator Information
Dual-language: English and Michif

Michif Translators: Irma Klyne and Larry Fayant

Additional Information
24 Pages | 5.5" x 7" | Board Book

This picture book is a small glimpse, from A to Z, of some of the sights and sounds of the Michif language and its speakers.

The language of the Metis, Michif is a combination of French and Cree with a trace of other regional languages. Once spoken by thousands of people across the prairies of Canada and the northern United States, Michif is now so little spoken that it might disappear within a generation.

This alphabet book is part of a resurgence to celebrate and preserve the traditions of the Metis people. Here Michif and English words combine with images from Metis culture to introduce all generations to the unique Michif language. The book even includes a brief introduction to the language's history, a pronunciation guide, and a list of references for those interested in learning more about Michif.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

Dual-language: English and Michif.

Additional Information
56 pages | 8.25" x 9.00" | Hardcover 

Relatives With Roots: A Story About Métis Women’s Connection to the Land is a heartfelt story about a Métis grandmother who takes her granddaughter out into the bush to teach her how to pick traditional medicines. As the granddaughter learns the traditional beliefs and stories about how the Métis people use the plants for food and medicine, she feels happy to be a Métis child with access to such wonderful cultural knowledge. This charming and vibrant book introduces young readers to key concepts in the traditional Métis worldview while focusing on the special relationship between a young Métis girl and her grandmother. Relatives With Roots is the second in a series of children’s books relating to traditional Métis values by Leah Marie Dorion. The first book, The Giving Tree: A Retelling of a Traditional Métis Story, was nominated in 2010 for a Willow Award in the Shining Willow category.

Additional Information
61 Pages | 28 cm x 21.5 cm

They say, “Home is where the heart is.” For Rosie and Madeline, home also included their pet kitten. Imagine being told you have to leave your home … without your pet. Based on a true story, Road Allowance Kitten gives readers a glimpse into the history of the Road Allowance Métis and their forced removal from their humble, but beloved, homes on the road allowance. Award-winning children’s author Wilfred Burton skillfully shares this story through the eyes of the children involved. The vibrant illustrations by Christina Johns are the perfect accompaniment to this authentic vignette of a little-known part of Prairie history.

Comes with a CD featuring the English and Michif narrations of the book.

Road Allowance Kitten: Broken Promises shares more of the adventures of the main characters, Rosie and Madeline, and their pet kitten. Their adventure began in Road Allowance Kitten, which has become a very popular and widely-acclaimed book within the canon of Métis children’s literature. Readers urged author Wilfred Burton to share what happens next.

The stories shared in these books blend the experiences of Métis families who were forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to an unfamiliar part of the province, where they found so little of what was promised to them.

Award-winning children’s author Wilfred Burton skillfully shares this story through the eyes of the children involved. Christina John’s vibrant illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to this authentic vignette of a little-known part of Prairie history.

Educator & Series Information
Dual-language: English and Michif 

Translation by Norman Fleury 

The Big Tease is a timeless story because we’ve all been involved in teasing to some degree, and often it has involved family. Time with family has always been important to Métis families. Like most families, there is usually at least one person who likes to tease others. In this story, it is Eliza, grandmother to author Wilfred Burton, and cousin to Édouard Beaupré. The Big Tease provides a lovely human touch to Édouard Beaupré’s life before his fame as the “Willow Bunch Giant” and his early tragic death took him from his beloved family.

Wilfred Burton’s imaginative narrative passes his grandmother’s story to today’s generation of story lovers. Illustrator George Gingras brings this true but somewhat embellished story to life with colourful images reflective of the Métis lifestyle at the time.

Educator Information
Grade Level: Primary (recommended by Gabriel Dumont Institute).

Dual-language: English & Michif 

Additional Information
Michif translation by Normal Fleury.