First Nations

Everything I’ve crafted and made has been a whirlwind of community and folks and friends and lovers and family. I kind of write as an animated avatar. A lot of my material comes from listening fiercely to those around me and witnessing that which is discarded or not seen." - Joshua Whitehead

Evolving from a conversation between Joshua Whitehead and Angie Abdou, Indigiqueerness is part dialogue, part collage, and part memoir. Beginning with memories of his childhood poetry and prose and travelling through the library of his life, Whitehead contemplates the role of theory, Indigenous language, queerness, and fantastical worlds in all his artistic pursuits. This volume is imbued with Whitehead’s energy and celebrates Indigenous writers and creators who defy expectations and transcend genres.

Additional Information
48 pages | 5.50" x 7.00" | Paperback

Illuminating the First Nations struggles against the Canadian state, It’s All about the Land exposes how racism underpins and shapes Indigenous-settler relationships. Renowned Kahnawà:ke Mohawk activist and scholar Taiaiake Alfred explains how the Canadian government’s reconciliation agenda is a new form of colonization that is also guaranteed to fail.

Bringing together Alfred’s speeches and interviews from over the past two decades, the book shows that Indigenous peoples across the world face a stark choice: reconnect with their authentic cultures and values or continue following a slow road to annihilation. Alfred proposes a radical vision for contesting and confronting the ongoing genocide of the original peoples of this land: Indigenous Resurgence. This way of thinking, being, and practising represents an authentic politics that roots resistance in the spirit, knowledge, and laws of the ancestors.

Set against the historic arc of Indigenous-settler relations in Canada and drawing on the rich heritage of First Nations resistance movements, It’s All about the Land traces the evolution of Indigenous struggle and liberation through the dynamic processes of oratory, dialogue, action, and reflection.

Reviews
"It is Taiaiake’s call to face the uncomfortable truths of colonization and the impacts it has had on our Nations, families, and individuals that makes his work stand out. As his work is such a challenge to the current unjust status quo, it has been both embraced and rejected. This is a clear sign that he is on to something" — Pam Palmater, from the Foreword

“It’s All About the Land is a long-awaited, vital contribution and is an essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the injustices Native people live under and what we should be doing about it.” — Grand Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke

“Taiaiake Alfred is a thought shifter who builds fires with his words. Anyone who cares about Indigenous issues and craves to be jolted into action should read this book -- a real counter narrative to the status quo.” — Chelsey Luger, Lakota and Anishinaabe, author of The Seven Circles: Indigenous Teachings for Living Well

“It’s All About the Land takes mainstream assumptions about reconciliation as seen and processed through a colonial filter and turns them on their head. Insightful, informative, and deeply thoughtful, this book will have you thinking differently about decolonization and what reconciliation really stands for. Ultimately, it asks all of us to do and be more.” — Toula Drimonis, writer, columnist, and author of We, the Others: Allophones, Immigrants, and Belonging in Canada

“Some may be surprised, given my position and our respective philosophical world views, that I count Taiaiake as a friend, but his work forces me to scrutinize and constantly question my actions and those of my government so as not to reproduce the horrific social experiment that has devastated Indigenous peoples.” — The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations  

Educator Information
This book challenges conventional thinking about reconciliation. Renowned Kahnawà:ke Mohawk activist and scholar Taiaiake Alfred argues that reconciliation is another form of colonization and instead proposes Indigenous Resurgence as a radical vision for contesting and confronting the continuing genocide of the Original Peoples. 

Contents
Foreword: The Battle to Decolonize Ourselves Inside and Out
Pamela Palmater

Introduction
Ann Rogers

Wasáse Redux
June 2005, TV Ontario

From Noble Savage to Righteous Warrior
March 6, 2010, Vancouver, BC

The Psychic Landscape of Contemporary Colonialism
November 9, 2011, Ottawa

Practical Decolonization 
April 9, 2012, Kingston, ON

Warrior Scholarship
March 18, 2013, Victoria, BC

Constitutional Recognition and Colonial Doublespeak
November 27, 2013, Melbourne, Australia

On Being and Becoming Indigenous
November 28, 2013, Melbourne, Australia

Reconciliation as Recolonization
September 20, 2016, Montreal, QC

From Red Power to Resurgence
November 2, 2018, Vancouver, BC

Rebuilding the Fire: In Conversation with Pamela Palmater
July 5, 2019, Warrior Life Podcast

Ronón:kwe
January 19, 2021, The Mythic Masculine Podcast

Rooted Responsibility
March 2021, Victoria, BC

You Can’t Decolonize Colonization
September 16, 2022, The Decolonized Buffalo Podcast

Afterword: Wa'tkwanonhwerá:ton
Taiaiake Alfred

Bonus Track: The Four Intuitions
April 20, 2003, TV Ontario

A Note on the Sources 
Index

Additional Information
304 pages | 5.50" x 8.50" | 11 b&w illustrations | Paperback

With gorgeous imagery, visual artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas brings to life the tumultuous history of first contact between Europeans and Indigenous peoples and the early colonization by the Europeans of the northern West Coast.

Yahgulanaas uses a blend of traditional and modern art, eschewing the traditional boxes of comic books for the flowing shapes of North Pacific iconography. The panels are filled with colourful and expressive watercolour paintings. The panels of each page, if removed and assembled into one whole image, form a large image reminiscent of a woven robe.

The story follows several historical figures, including Johan Adrian Jacobsen (JAJ), who comes to the Haida village of Masset to collect specimens for a German museum, through a time span that includes first contact, the devastation of the smallpox epidemic, and the mass resettlement of disenfranchised peoples, both Indigenous and European.

Reviews
“This book is a necessary tale told by the perfect voice at the right time. It also uses graphic imagery in a way I've not seen before, and it feels ground-breaking.” — Douglas Coupland

Additional Information
132 pages | 8.00" x 10.00" | Hardcover

“We need to learn and grow together, and if we are able to do this, we will create harmony,” counsels Tom Sampson, an elder of Tsartlip First Nation in British Columbia.

Dynamic and diverse, Coast Salish culture is bound together by shared values and relations that generate a resilient worldview. Jesintel—"to learn and grow together"—characterizes the spirit of this book, which brings the cultural teachings of nineteen elders to new generations.

Featuring interviews that share powerful experiences and stories, Jesintel illuminates the importance of ethical reciprocal relationships and the interconnectedness of places, land, water, and the spirit within all things. Elders offer their perspectives on language revitalization, Coast Salish family values and naming practices, salmon, sovereignty, canoe racing, and storytelling. They also share traumatic memories, including of their boarding school experiences and the epidemics that ravished their communities. Jesintel highlights the importance of maintaining relations and traditions in the face of ongoing struggles. Collaboration is at the heart of this work and informs how the editors and community came together to honor the boundless relations of Coast Salish people and their territories.

Elders Interviewed:
Tom Sampson (Tsartlip First Nation)
Virginia Cross (Muckleshoot Tribe)
Ernestine Gensaw (Lummi Nation)
Steve and Gwen Point (Stó:lō Nation)
Gene and Wendy Harry (Malahat Nation)
Claude Wilbur (Swinomish Tribe)
Richard Solomon (Lummi Nation)
Elaine Grinell (Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe)
Arvid Charlie (Cowichan Nation)
Amy George (Tsleil-Waututh Nation)
Nancy Shippentower (Nisqually Tribe)
Nolan Charles (Musqueam Indian Band)
Andy de los Angeles (Snoqualmie Tribe)
Jewell James (Lummi Nation)
Kenny Moses Sr. Family (Tulalip Tribal Nation)
Ramona Morris (Lummi Nation)

Reviews
"A beautiful sharing of thriving Coast Salish communities. Indigenous elders, cultures, and languages have so much precious wisdom to share, and Jesintel celebrates these through storytelling and photos. It is a generous gift to anyone who wants to better understand the resilience of Indigenous communities."- Michelle M. Jacob (Yakama), author of The Auntie Way: Stories Celebrating Kindness, Fierceness, and Creativity

Educator Information
Nineteen elders from Coast Salish communities in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia offer a portrait of their perspectives on language, revitalization, and Coast Salish family values. Topics include naming practices, salmon, canoe journeys and storytelling.

Additional Information
224 pages | 9.00" x 10.00" | 144 colour illustrations | 1 map | Paperback

A multi-generational story of loss, war, community, survival, perseverance, and renewal.

Joe Pete and her cousin Simon will find more than they anticipated buried beneath the snow as they search for her missing father. Their journey will unlock the ancestors and spirits embedded in the present who call back to a past marked by war and kinship, by conflict and wisdom that continue to contour their trajectory towards the future.

Additional Information
300 pages | 5.50" x 8.50" | Paperback 

A residential school survivor finds his way back to his language and culture through his family’s traditional stories.

When reflecting on forces that have shaped his life, Solomon Ratt says his education was interrupted by his schooling. Torn from his family at the age of six, Ratt was placed into the residential school system—a harsh, institutional world, operated in a language he could not yet understand, far from the love and comfort of home and family. In kâ-pî-isi-kiskisiyân / The Way I Remember, Ratt reflects on these memories and the life-long challenges he endured through his telling of âcimisowin—autobiographical stories—and also traditional tales.

Written over the course of several decades, Ratt describes his life before, during, and after residential school. In many ways, these stories reflect the experience of thousands of other Indigenous children across Canada, but Ratt’s stories also stand apart in a significant way: he managed to retain his mother language of Cree by returning home to his parents each summer despite the destruction wrought by colonialism.

Ratt then shifts from the âcimisowina (personal, autobiographical stories) to âcathôhkîwina, (sacred stories) the more formal and commonly recognized style of traditional Cree literature, to illustrate how, in a world uninterrupted by colonialism and its agenda of genocide, these traditional stories would have formed the winter curriculum of a Cree child’s education.

Presented in Cree Th-dialect Standard Roman Orthography, syllabics, and English, Ratt’s reminiscences of residential school escapades almost always end with a close call and a smile. Even when his memories are dark, Ratt’s particularly Cree sense of humour shines, making kâ-pî-isi-kiskisiyân /The Way I Remember an important and unique memoir that emphasizes and celebrates Solomon Ratt’s perseverance and life after residential school.

Reviews
"Sol is an international treasure the whole world should enjoy." —Buffy Sainte-Marie

"The Way I Remember is inarguably the most important book yet to be published for the preservation of the Cree language and an understanding of the importance of the oral tradition to Cree culture and education." —Jesse Archibald-Barber, First Nations University of Canada

"As he looks back over his life journey reclaiming, breathing new and old life back into our beautiful language, Solomon credits the late Reverend Edward Ahenekew for helping me "to put the pieces together." kista meena dear Solomon, ekosi aytotumawiyak. This is an important book because you have also put pieces together for us so that we can have a good journey. Kinahnaskomtin." —Maria Campbell, author of Halfbreed

"A gift to future generations...Full of humour and resilience in equal measure, these Cree/English stories offer us a glimpse into a world as it was, and future that could be" —Chelsea Vowel, author of Indigenous Writes

Educator & Series Information
Presented in Cree Th-dialect Standard Roman Orthography, syllabics, and English.

This book is part of the Our Own Words series.

Additional Information
264 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | Paperback

A Quebec bestseller based on the life of Michel Jean's great-grandmother that delivers an empathetic portrait of drastic change in an Innu community.

Kukum recounts the story of Almanda Siméon, an orphan raised by her aunt and uncle, who falls in love with a young Innu man despite their cultural differences and goes on to share her life with the Pekuakami Innu community. They accept her as one of their own: Almanda learns their language, how to live a nomadic existence, and begins to break down the barriers imposed on Indigenous women. Unfolding over the course of a century, the novel details the end of traditional ways of life for the Innu, as Almanda and her family face the loss of their land and confinement to reserves, and the enduring violence of residential schools.

Kukum intimately expresses the importance of Innu ancestral values and the need for freedom nomadic peoples feel to this day.

Educator Information
Translated by Susan Ouriou.

Additional Information
224 pages | 5.50" x 8.50" | Paperback

— Je m'appelle Jared.
— Trickster. Tu sens encore la foudre.

Jared, 16 ans, a un solide problème d'alcool, une blonde non binaire vraiment politisée et la mère la plus terrifiante de la planète. Il a aussi le don de se mettre dans le trouble, entre son trafic de biscuits au pot, ses fréquents blackouts et sa grande gueule. Et ça, c'est sans compter les loutres cannibales, les hommes-gorilles, les lucioles philosophes et les soupçons de sa grand-mère, convaincue qu'il n'est pas un être humain, mais le fils de Wee'git, l'esprit qui tourmente sa famille depuis des générations.

Bestseller finaliste au prix Giller, Le fils du Trickster dose savamment l'apparition d'un fantastique issu de mythes autochtones ancestraux, nous faisant douter de la santé mentale de ses personnages, mais jamais de leur vérité.

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the Trickster Trilogy.

Translated from English by Marie Frankland. 

Note: This novel contains mature subject matter, such as drug use and depictions of sex and violence.

This book is available in English: Son of a Trickster

Additional Information
416 Pages 

Bringing the Legends home

Legends of the Capilano updates E. Pauline Johnson’s 1911 classic Legends of Vancouver, restoring Johnson’s intended title for the first time. This new edition celebrates the storytelling abilities of Johnson’s Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) collaborators, Joe and Mary Capilano, and supplements the original fifteen legends with five additional stories narrated solely or in part by Mary Capilano, highlighting her previously overlooked contributions to the book.

Alongside photographs and biographical entries for E. Pauline Johnson, Joe Capilano, and Mary Capilano, editor Alix Shield provides a detailed publishing history of Legends since its first appearance in 1911. Interviews with literary scholar Rick Monture (Mohawk) and archaeologist Rudy Reimer (Skwxwú7mesh) further considers the legacy of Legends in both scholars’ home communities. Compiled in consultation with the Mathias family, the direct descendants of Joe and Mary Capilano and members of the Skwxwú7mesh Nation, this edition reframes, reconnects, and reclaims the stewardship of these stories.

Reviews
"Shield has skilfully opened up a new avenue to the past with potentially wide-ranging appeal both to scholars and students and to general readers."— Jean Barman

Educator Information
This book is part of the First Voices, First Texts series.

Additional Information
256 pages | 5.50" x 8.50" | Paperback

Eight years in the making, Lha yudit’ih (We Always Find a Way) is a community oral history of Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia, the first case in Canada to result in a declaration of Aboriginal Rights and Title to a specific piece of land. Told from the perspective of the Plaintiff, Chief Roger William, joined by fifty Xeni Gwet’ins, Tŝilhqot’ins, and allies, this book encompasses ancient stories of creation, modern stories of genocide through smallpox and residential school, and stories of resistance including the Tŝilhqot’in War, direct actions against logging and mining, and the twenty-five-year battle in Canadian courts to win recognition of what Tŝilhqot’ins never gave up and have always known. “We are the land,” as Chief Roger says. After the violence of colonialism, he understands the court case as “bringing our sight back.” This book witnesses the power of that vision, its continuity with the Tŝilhqot’in world before the arrival of colonizers two centuries ago, and its potential for a future of freedom and self-determination for the Tŝilhqot’in People.

Additional Information
480 pages | 6.49" x 9.48" | 32 page colour photograph insert and black and white photos and illustrations and maps throughout | Paperback

In this poignant display of the resilience of language, culture, and community in the face of the profound changes brought by settlers, Kluane First Nation Elders share stories from their lives, knowledge of their traditional territory (A si Keyi, "my grandfather's country"), and insights on the building of their self-governing First Nation.

With generosity, diligence and deep commitment to their community, Elders from Lhu'aan Man Keyi (Kluane First Nation) recorded oral histories about their lives in the southwest Yukon. They shared wisdom, stories and songs passed down from grandparents, aunties and uncles, in Dan k'e (Southern Tutchone, Kluane dialect) and English. This years-long project arose from the Elders' desire for their children and future generations to know the foundations of language, culture, skills and beliefs that will keep them proud, healthy and strong. The Elders speak of life before the Alaska Highway, when their grandparents drew on thousands of years of traditional knowledge to live on the land through seasonal rounds of hunting and gathering; the dark years after the building of the Alaska Highway, when children were taken away to residential schools and hunting grounds were removed to form the Kluane Game Preserve and National Park; and the decades since, when the community worked through the Yukon land claims process to establish today's self-governing First Nation.

Inclusivity is a key community value. The Elders' stories are accompanied by the voices of youth and citizens of all ages, along with a history of the Kluane region. The book is beautifully illustrated with Elders' photographs, historical images and art work, and photos showing breathtaking views of Kluane mountains, lakes, sites, trails, and activities in the community today. With passionate and deeply informed voices, this is a stirring portrait created by a community that has shown resilience through massive changes and remains dedicated to preserving their culture, language and lands for the generations to come.

Awards

• 2024 Indigenous History Book Prize 

Educator Information
Some of the wisdom, stories, and songs are in Dan k'e (Southern Tutchone, Kluane dialect).

Additional Information
384 pages | 11.25" x 9.00"| 150 colour and b&w photos | Hardcover 

For six weeks in 2012–13, Attawapiskat chief Theresa Spence undertook a high-profile ceremonial fast to advocate for improved Canadian-Indigenous relations. Life against States of Emergency responds to the central question she asked the Canadian public to consider: What does it mean to be in a treaty relationship today? This incisive research weaves together community-engaged research, Attawapiskat lived experiences, discourse analysis, ecofeminist and Indigenous studies scholarship, art, activism, and storytelling to advance a transformative, future-oriented approach to treaty relations. By centring community voices, Life against States of Emergency seeks to cultivate democratic dialogue about environmental justice.

Reviews
"Wiebe’s book is rich, thoughtful, and wise. It centres Indigenous realities and theories, allowing readers to understand how the past informs the present, why representation matters, and how to move collectively toward an environmentally just future."— Jocelyn Thorpe, director of the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture at the University of Manitoba

Additional Information
312 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | 19 b&w photos, 1 map | Paperback

A diverse group of seven writers comes together to create seven tender scenes about their hopes for the future.

The Many Mothers Collective came together during the pandemic, hoping to make sense of the world they found themselves in. What evolved was their need to not only focus on the present moment, but on the world they will leave behind for their children and grandchildren, and for seven generations to come. In seven scenes for the stage, the members of the collective explore the past, where they come from, and the future, where they are going, with a deep sense of hopefulness rooted in resistance.

Additional Information
70 pages | 5.00" x 8.00" | Paperback

Drawing on her Ojibwa roots and storytelling, Barnes shares stories that take the heart on the path to the past, nostalgic though it may be, wherein lies discovery, memories, and rhythms that ease the soul. Touching, tender but never overwrought, Barnes' poetry brings wonder to the spirit of nature and provides a sense of connection to the things most often overlooked.

Additional Information
140 pages | 7.50" x 5.00" | Paperback

Drawing upon oral and documentary evidence, this volume explores the lives of noteworthy Mi’kmaw individuals whose thoughts, actions, and aspirations impacted the history of the Northeast but whose activities were too often relegated to the shadows of history.

The book highlights Mi’kmaw leaders who played major roles in guiding the history of the region between 1680 and 1980. It sheds light on their community and emigration policies, organizational and negotiating skills, diplomatic endeavours, and stewardship of land and resources. Contributors to the volume range from seasoned scholars with years of research in the field to Mi’kmaw students whose interest in their history will prove inspirational. Offering important new insights, the book re-centres Indigenous nationhood to alter the way we understand the field itself. The book also provides a lengthy index so that information may be retrieved and used in future research.

Muiwlanej kikamaqki – Honouring Our Ancestors will engage the interest of Indigenous and non-Indigenous readers alike, engender pride in Mi’kmaw leadership legacies, and encourage Mi’kmaw youth and others to probe more deeply into the history of the Northeast.

Reviews
"This book is an invaluable and original offering. Muiwlanej kikamaqki – Honouring Our Ancestors makes a significant contribution to Mi’kmaq history by successfully bringing little-known individuals into the light and by placing them in a historical context that is uniquely informed by both written and oral narratives. For Mi’kmaq wanting to know more about their history, this book will be a wonderful source." - Natasha Simon, Nihkanatpat (Director) of the Mi’kmaq-Wolastoqey Centre, University of New Brunswick

"This book is deeply researched, both in written sources and in integrating the invaluable evidence of Indigenous knowledge. The detailed individual and family histories are uniquely effective in bringing out both changes and continuities in Mi’kmaw history and in the texture of Mi’kmaw interactions with non-Indigenous sojourners and settlers. With a remarkable and outstanding depth of scholarship, the book meticulously pursues biography as an approach that can be extended to people whose lives have too often been deemed to be insufficiently documented for conventional purposes, in order to take our historical understanding in innovative and productive directions."- John Reid, Professor of History, Saint Mary’s University

Additional Information
1004 pages | 8.00" x 10.00"| 62 b&w illustrations | Hardcover