Wai Tien

When Richard’s class from Big Spirit School takes a canoe trip, he and his classmates chance upon an elderly woman. She tells them the story of her grandfather, John Ramsay, of the Sandy Bar community on Lake Winnipeg. Ramsay’s land was taken by the government and given to the new settlers from Iceland who arrived there in 1875. Yet many owed their survival to Ramsay, who helped them through freezing winters, hunger, and a devastating smallpox epidemic.

Educator & Series Information
The Land of Os is one book in the Tales From Big Spirit series. Tales from Big Spirit is a unique graphic novel series that delves into the stories of great Indigenous heroes from Canadian history—some already well known and others who deserve to be. Designed to correspond to grades 4–6 social studies curriculums across Canada, these full colour graphic novels could be used in literature circles, novel studies, and book clubs to facilitate discussion of social studies topics. These books will help students make historical connections while promoting important literacy skills.

A Teacher's Guide is also available for the Tales from the Big Spirit Series: Tales from the Big Spirit Series Teacher's Guide. The teacher's guide is designed to help classroom teachers use the graphic novel series, Tales From Big Spirit, by David Alexander Robertson. The guide provides detailed lessons that meet a wide range of language arts and social studies goals, integrate Indigenous perspectives, and make curricular content more accessible to diverse learners.

This resources is also available in French: D'hier à aujourd'hui, Le protecteur d’Ós : John Ramsay

Additional Information
30 pages | 6.50" x 10.00"

Lors d’une excursion organisée, Richard et ses camarades de classe de l’école de la nation Big Spirit tombent sur une vieille femme. Elle leur raconte alors l’histoire de son grand-père, John Ramsay, membre de la communauté de Sandy Bar, au lac Winnipeg, à qui le gouvernement a retiré les terres pour les offrir aux nouveaux colons venus d’Islande en 1875. Pourtant, nombre d’entre eux doivent leur vie à Ramsay, qui les a aidés à survivre au froid, à la faim et à une épidémie dévastatrice de variole.

Educator & Series Information
NATION BIG SPIRIT : D’HIER À AUJOURD’HUI est une série unique de sept bandes dessinées qui plonge les lecteurs au cœur de l’histoire canadienne en s’intéressant à des figures autochtones marquantes, parfois méconnues.

Dès 9 ans

Traduit de l’anglais par Mathieu Arès.

This resource is also available in English: The Land of Os: John Ramsay