Indigenous Peoples in Canada

The First Few Feet in a World of Wolves chronicles the fictionalization of the year the author spent teaching in Aupaluk (a remote Inuit community on the Ungava Coast of Nunavik). The story outlines, and explores, the history of oppression experienced by the more than five hundred Indigenous nations across northern Turtle Island at the hands of the Canadian government since the Royal Proclamation.

Told through the voice of Nomad, who finds himself very much at odds with the land itself. Nomad slowly learns how to reconnect with his fractured history as he embraces and is embraced by the Elders and his own students. Told is crisp, spare prose, this debut novel brings forward a powerful new Indigenous voice to the literary landscape.

Reviews
"Speaking in a voice that is both powerful and playful, Scott Mainprize weaves a thoughtful investigation into the Indigenous Peoples' oppression through the eyes of his fictional character, Nomad. And we discover as Nomad discovers that the art of storytelling is a way towards healing and reconciliation." - Mary Barnes, author of Moving Upstream

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

The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere is a reclaimed history of the deep past of Indigenous people in North and South America during the Paleolithic. Paulette F. C. Steeves mines evidence from archaeology sites and Paleolithic environments, landscapes, and mammalian and human migrations to make the case that people have been in the Western Hemisphere not only just prior to Clovis sites (10,200 years ago) but for more than 60,000 years, and likely more than 100,000 years.

Steeves discusses the political history of American anthropology to focus on why pre-Clovis sites have been dismissed by the field for nearly a century. She explores supporting evidence from genetics and linguistic anthropology regarding First Peoples and time frames of early migrations. Additionally, she highlights the work and struggles faced by a small yet vibrant group of American and European archaeologists who have excavated and reported on numerous pre-Clovis archaeology sites.

In this first book on Paleolithic archaeology of the Americas written from an Indigenous perspective, The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere includes Indigenous oral traditions, archaeological evidence, and a critical and decolonizing discussion of the development of archaeology in the Americas.

Reviews

Additional Information
328 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | 2 photographs, 8 illustrations, 5 maps, 7 tables, 1 appendix, index | Paperback

Uncover the incredible life story of Germaine Arnattaujuq, a singularly important Inuit artist, in this high interest/low reading level reference book for struggling readers.

Germaine Arnattaujuq is an award-winning Inuit artist. This book tells the story of her life, from growing up at a camp in Nunavut to her education as an artist in Winnipeg and Ottawa and her eventual return to the North. Germaine's incredible drawings, etchings, and illustrations are featured throughout the book, along with archival photographs.

Filled with personal anecdotes and fun facts, this book encourages reluctant readers to discover how Germaine started drawing on gum wrappers as a child and went on to become one of the most well-known artists from the North.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 12 to 18.

This is a Hi-Lo (high-interest, low readability) book.

Additional Information
60 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | Colour Photographs | Paperback

One of the few biographies of an Inuk man from the 19th Century—separated from his family, community, and language—finding his place in history.

Augustine Tataneuck was an Inuk man born near the beginning of the 19th century on the northwestern coast of Hudson Bay. Between 1812 and 1834, his family sent him to Churchill, Manitoba, to live and work among strangers, where he could escape the harsh Arctic climate and earn a living in the burgeoning fur trade. He was perhaps the first Inuk man employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a labourer, and he also worked as an interpreter on John Franklin’s two overland expeditions in search of the northwest passage.

Tataneuck’s life was shaped by the inescapable, harsh environments he lived within, and he was an important, but not widely recognized, player in the struggle for the possession of northwest North America waged by Britain, Russia, and the United States. He left no diaries or letters.

Using the Hudson’s Bay Company’s journals and historical archives, historian Renee Fossett has pieced together a compelling biography of Augustine and the historical times he lived through: climate disasters, lethal disease episodes, and political upheavals on an international scale.

While The Life and Times of Augustine Tataneuck is a captivating portrait of an Inuk man who lived an extraordinary life, it also is an arresting, unique glimpse into the North as it was in the 19th century and into the lives of trappers, translators, and labourers who are seldom written about and often absent in the historical record.

Reviews
"Renee Fossett's careful research ensures that the life of Augustine Tataneuck, Inuk interpreter and guide, will be remembered, with respect." —Julie Rak, co-editor of Life Among the Qallunaat

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504 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | 4 Maps, 1 Illustration | Paperback

Misty Lake tells the story of a young Metis journalist from Winnipeg who travels to a Dene reserve in Northern Manitoba to conduct an interview with a former residential school student. What Mary imparts in her interview will change Patty's life profoundly, allowing the journalist to make the connections to her own troubled life in the city. Patty knows that her Metis grandmother went to residential school when she was a girl. But Patty hasn't understood until now that she's inherited the traumatic legacy of residential school that was passed down to her mother from her grandmother. With this new understanding, Patty embarks on a healing journey. It will take her to the Dene fishing camp at Misty Lake, a place of healing, where, with Mary, she will learn that healing begins when you can talk about your life.

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80 pages | 5.50" x 8.50" | Paperback

An intriguing look at the connections between Alberta premier Peter Lougheed and his Métis grandmother, Isabella Clarke Hardisty Lougheed, exploring how Métis identity, political activism, and colonial institutional power shaped the lives and legacies of both.

Combining the approaches of political biography and historical narrative, The Premier and His Grandmother introduces readers to two compelling and complex public figures. Born into a prominent fur trading family, Isabella Clarke Hardisty Lougheed (1861–1936) established a distinct role for herself as an influential Métis woman in southern Alberta, at a time when racial boundaries in the province were hardening and Métis activists established a firm foundation for the Métis to be recognized as distinct Indigenous Peoples.

Isabella’s grandson Edgar Peter Lougheed (1928–2021) served as premier of Alberta at a time when some of that activism achieved both successes and losses. Drawing on Peter Lougheed’s personal papers, family interviews, and archival research, this book analyzes his political initiatives in the context of his own identity as a person of Métis ancestry. While there are several publications that refer to Peter Lougheed in the context of his role as premier, few of those publications have acknowledged his connection to an important Métis pioneer family and his connection to his Indigenous ancestors.

Additional Information
320 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | b&w photographs | Paperback

Connect with healing traditions, stories, ancestral wisdom, and animal guidance through this 56-card deck and guidebook from Indigenous Medicine Woman and author of You Are the Medicine, Asha Frost.

Indigenous people know the power of earth and spirit medicine. Everything in our natural world is interconnected and sacred. The plants, animals, rocks, waters, stars, moon are our relations, our kin. Every aspect of creation has a spirit. This spirit lives in all things and informs us how to walk in a good way or, in Anishinaabemowin, Mino-bimaadiziwin.

The Sacred Medicine Oracle was birthed to invite readers into a conscious and respectful relationship with medicine teachings, awakening a daily connection to your own inner divinity, power, and wisdom. From the powerful remembering of "Past Life Medicine" to the promise of miracles with "Jingle Dress," each of the 56 cards depicts ceremony, traditions, moon phases, animal guides, and plant allies, all of them alive with energy and blessed with healing intentions from the ancestors.

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144 pages | 4.88" x 5.38" | 56 Cards and Guidebook 

In this intimate collection of writing and art, Brian J. Francis invites us to explore the sacred space within. Through vision, prayer, and dream work, Francis channels messages from the ancestors to help us contemplate themes of nature, mortality, truth, and reconciliation. Eclipsing space and time, Francis words and art resonate with deep texture, hope, colour, and mastery. The result is a shimmering testament to his Mi'kmaq ancestors, and a pledge to the next generation. Guiding us beyond spirit and nation boundaries, this eloquent read is ideal for anyone seeking sanctuary, sacred space, and a comfortable seat at their own altar.

Additional Information
88 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | Hardcover 

“’There’s an opening above me, but it’s far, and I have to stack up rocks to jump up, and it’s almost impossible to get out.’ That’s when I realized that I was stripped of my identity, and there was nothing of my culture left in me. It was like I wasn’t in my body anymore. It was bare and desolate and empty and cold, lifeless in my body. Where was I? Where had I gone?”

In this visceral graphic memoir, Monica Ittusardjuat brings readers with her from residential school classrooms to government apologies on her journey to rediscovering what it means to be Inuk. Born prematurely in an iglu on Baffin Island, Monica attended three residential schools over eleven years. She details her resulting struggles with addiction, mental health, and domestic violence, which haunted her into adulthood.

Equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, Monica’s memoir is a testimony to the lasting impacts of residential schools and one woman’s fight to reclaim what she lost.

The Scarf and the Butterfly is a stunning new addition to Qinuisaarniq ("resiliency"), a collection of books created to educate readers about the history and impacts of residential schools.

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 14 to 18.

This book exposes readers to the experience and perspective of an Inuk residential school survivor.

This book is part of the Qinuisaarniq program. Qinuisaarniq (“resiliency”) is a program created to educate Nunavummiut and all Canadians about the history and impacts of residential schools, policies of assimilation, and other colonial acts that have affected the Canadian Arctic.

Each resource has been carefully written and reviewed to include level-appropriate opportunities for students to learn about colonial acts and policies that have affected Inuit. These acts and policies created long-lasting impacts on Inuit individuals and communities, which are still being felt today.

Additional Information
68 pages | 7.00" x 10.00" | Hardcover

It's a race against time to save Eli, in this third book in the award-winning, Narnia-inspired Indigenous middle-grade fantasy series. 

After discovering a near-lifeless Eli at the base of the Great Tree, Morgan knows she doesn't have much time to save him. And it will mean asking for help — from friends old and new. Racing against the clock, and with Arik and Emily at her side, Morgan sets off to follow the trail away from the Great Tree to find Eli's soul before it's too late. As they journey deep into the northern woods, a place they've been warned never to enter, they face new challenges and life-threatening attacks from strange and horrifying creatures. But a surprise ally comes to their aid, and Morgan finds the strength to focus on what's most important: saving her brother's life. 

Reviews
"Girl power is front and center in the latest Misewa adventure . . . there's a lot of urgencies, a lot of action, a lot of emotion as events include satisfying reunions and heartbreaking loss." —Common Sense Media

"As readers, we were able to learn a lot about Cree culture in a way that's not achievable through textbooks . . . these books would be a great addition to any classroom library." —The Suburban

Educator & Series Information
Recommended for ages 10+

This is Book 3 in the Misewa Saga. Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in this epic middle-grade fantasy series from award-winning author David Robertson.

Additional Information
256 pages | 5.50" x 8.19" | Paperback 

For over two centuries, the Métis have fought for recognition as an Indigenous people and as a Nation. This struggle has played out on the battlefield, in the courts, and at the negotiating table, often over issues of governance, land rights, and resources. It wasn’t until 1982, when the government patriated the Constitution, that Métis rights were officially recognized by Canada. The True Canadians chronicles Métis challenges and achievements over those 40 years and well before. Focused on Alberta, the book traces the growth of the Métis Nation of Alberta, which in 2022 ratified its own Constitution, the same year as the 40th anniversary of Canada’s Constitution Act. The title refers to the fact the Métis are the people born of this land.

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11.00" x 9.00" | Hardcover

Bugz, une adolescente autochtone, se retrouve à cheval entre deux univers : la réalité et le monde virtuel (le « Floraverse »). Dans le monde réel, elle est timide et mal dans sa peau. Elle vit du stress sous différentes formes – anxiété adolescente et vie en réserve obligent. Mais dans le monde virtuel, loin de la « Rez », son alter ego a non seulement pleine confiance en elle-même, mais domine complètement le jeu dans cet univers vidéo multijoueur d’envergure internationale. Bugz rencontre Feng, un jeune dissident expulsé par la Chine et venu vivre avec sa tante médecin sur la réserve. Bugz et Feng s’entendent immédiatement à merveille : deux marginaux et avides joueurs en ligne. Mais la relation est mise à mal lorsque Bugz se voit trahie et que tout ce qu’elle a bâti dans le jeu s’écroule. Il leur faudra à tous deux puiser dans des forces insoupçonnées pour restaurer leur amitié et réconcilier les aspects parallèles de leurs vies : la tradition avec la culture de masse, l’Orient et l’Occident, le réel et le virtuel…

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 12+.

This book is part of the Le Floraverse series.

This book is available in English: Walking in Two Worlds

Additional Information
Paperback

Unikkaaqtuat is the Inuktitut word meaning "to tell stories."

This definitive collection of Inuit legends is thoughtfully introduced and carefully annotated to provide the historical and cultural context in which to understand this rich oral tradition. Fascinating and educational, this little-known part of Canada's heritage will captivate readers of all ages. As a work of historical and cultural preservation, this textbook will be invaluable to those studying Inuit.

Additional Information
320 pages | 8.00" x 10.00" | 100 b&w line drawings | Hardcover | 2nd Edition

From the bestselling author of Empire of Wild, a wickedly subversive, deliciously imaginative, deeply feminist novel of contemporary witches on the rise—a book that only the supremely gifted storyteller Cherie Dimaline could write.

Lucky St. James, orphaned daughter of a bad-ass Métis good-times girl, is barely hanging on to her nowhere life when she finds out that she and her grandmother, Stella, are about to be evicted from their apartment. Bad to worse in a heartbeat. Then one night, doing laundry in the building's dank basement, Lucky feels an irresistible something calling to her. Crawling through a hidden hole in the wall, she finds a tarnished silver spoon depicting a story-book hag over letters that spell out S-A-L-E-M.
 
Which alerts Salem-born Meena Good, finder of a matching spoon, to Lucky's existence. One of the most powerful witches in North America, Meena has been called to bring together seven special witches and seven special spoons—infused with magic and scattered to the four directions more than a century ago—to form a magic circle that will restore women to their rightful power. Under the wing of the international headhunting firm VenCo, devoted to placing exceptional women in roles where they can influence business, politics and the arts, Meena has spent years searching out witches hiding in plain sight wherever women gather: suburban book clubs, Mommy & Me groups, temp agencies. Lucky and her spoon are number six.
 
With only one more spoon to find, a very powerful adversary has Meena's coven in his sights—Jay Christos, a roguish and deadly witch-hunter as old as witchcraft itself. As the clock ticks toward a now-or-never deadline, Meena sends Lucky and her grandmother on a dangerous, sometimes hilarious, road trip through the United States in search of the seventh spoon. The trail leads them at last to the darkly magical city of New Orleans, where Lucky's final showdown with Jay Christos will determine whether the coven will be completed, ushering in a new beginning, or whether witches will be forced to remain forever underground.

Reviews
“Bring magic back into your life with the compulsively readable VenCo, a thundering, fantastical road trip with the wily Lucky St. James, her unpredictable grandmother, the witches they are trying to unite and the man who wants to end them all.” —Eden Robinson

“Once I opened VenCo, I was propelled through an entire night of charmed reading. Cherie Dimaline creates a world utterly fantastical, yet real. VenCo is funny, tense and cracking with a dark, divine energy.” —Louise Erdrich, New York Times bestselling author of The Sentence
 
“Crackling with magic, mystery, adventure, and intrigue, VenCo is a captivating tribute to the bonds of families we are born into and the ones that we create, and a delightful testament to the power of all womankind.” —Nikki Erlick, New York Times bestselling author of The Measure

“Spellbinding and utterly original, VenCo shows the power women can wield when we join forces.”  —Kirsten Miller, author of The Change

"A gripping, witchy romp of a novel. It's impossible not to fall in love with Stella and Lucky." —BuzzFeed

"Fast, fun, full of charms. . . . A propulsive read full of intriguing detail, this novel is well-written, engaging and, more than anything, enjoyable. The reader will feel genuine affection for Dimaline’s irreverent, badass witches as they battle for the future of their family and the future of the world, one and the same in Dimaline’s inclusive vision." —Kirkus Reviews

Additional Information
400 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | Hardcover