Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 8 - 12 2014-2015

How the Petitcodiac River Became Muddy is a trilingual picture book that retells a Mi'kmaq legend.

This simple story details the Mi'kmaq explanation for an eclipse, why the lobster turns red when it is put in boiling water, and how the Petitcodiac River became muddy long ago. This legend draws on the original version by Michael Francis (1923-1995) of Elsipogtog, New Brunswick. Glooscap figures prominently in this remarkable story that is recommended for language programs.

Educator & Series Information
The French title is Comment la riviÞre Petitcodiac devint boueuse. The Mi'kmaq title is Ta'n Tel-kisi-siskuapua'qsepp Petikotiak Sipu. Allison Mitcham tells the English version. Serena Sock provides the Mi'kmaq translation, and Marguerite Maillet provides the French translation. The dynamic art illustrations are created by Raymond Martin.

This book is part of Collection Wabanaki.

Additional Information
22 pages | 8.00" x 8.00"

Inuit have been hunting polar bear for centuries and have built up a rich knowledge about their habitat and behaviour-a knowledge expressed in the oral history, Inuktitut vocabulary and cultural traditions- in Inuit Qaujimaningit, or IQ. The Hunters' and Trappers' Organization of Gjoa Haven, Taloyoak, Kugaaruk and Cambridge Bay share concerns over the future viability of the polar bear population in the McClintock Channel Polar Bear Management Area and about the future integrity of the related IQ. The objective was to record and communicate, as accurately as possible, the IQ of Gjoa Haven residents related to polar bears. The lessons learned from this study will enable application as a model for studies of a similar nature elsewhere.