Tlicho (Dogrib)

The Missing Caribou Hide is a story that passes through the years in Tłı̨chǫ history. It tells of times when people lived a simpler life built around the fur trade, hard work and helping one another. It tells of times when relationships with animals and our environment were stronger than they are today.

In this story, a young girl who lives with her grandmother, wishes to own a sled so that she can go sliding like the other children in her community. However, her grandmother needs her to help with chores around the home. The young girl has developed a friendship with Tatsǫ̀ (Raven), Į̀hk'aa (Canada Jay), Nǫ̀mba (Weasel) and Nǫge (Fox). Because of her kindness, the four animal friends decide to help her out.

Included in this book is the use of Tłı̨chǫ language as well as Tłı̨chǫ legends told about these animals from the traditional stories of community elders. It has been edited and translated by the community members themselves.

Reviews
“This book is a reminder of Tlicho and their relationship and connections to their environment and the animals they share their lands with. These stories are important teachings to the cultural history of the Dene People. Not only should the book be in every classroom, but every Canadian should also read these stories to help understand Indigenous peoples and their culture. "The Missing Caribou Hide" can help bridge the gap between not only Tlicho parent and child, but also help connect Indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians alike." — Paul Andrew, Order of the Northwest Territories

Educator Information
Recommended for children.

Included in this book is the use of Tlicho language as well as Tlicho stories told about these animals from the traditonal stories of community elders.  It has been edited and translated by the community members themselves.  A pronunciation guide is found at the back of the book.

Includes a Christmas story.

Additional Information

48 pages | 8.50" x 11.00" | Paperback

This fictional coming-of-age story traces a young girl's reluctant journey by canoe through the ancestral lands of the Tlicho People, as she gradually comes to understand and appreciate their culture and the significance of their fight for self-government.

Eleven-year-old Julia has lived in Wekweètì, NWT, since she was five. Although the people of Wekweètì have always treated her as one of their own, Julia sometimes feels like an outsider, disconnected from the traditions and ancestral roots that are so central to the local culture.

When Julia sets off on the canoe trip she is happy her best friends, Layla and Alice, will also be there. However, the trip is nothing like she expected. She is afraid of falling off the boat, of bears, and of storms. Layla's grandparents (who Julia calls Grandma and Grandpa) put her to work but won't let her paddle the canoe. While on land Julia would rather goof around with her friends than do chores. Gradually, Grandma and Grandpa show her how to survive on the land and pull her own weight, and share their traditional stories with her. Julia learns to gather wood, cook, clean, and paddle the canoe, becoming more mature and responsible each day. The journey ends at Behchoko, where the historic Tlicho Agreement of 2005 is signed, and the Tlicho People celebrate their hard-won right to self-government. Julia is there to witness history.

Inspired by true events, this story was written at the request of John B. Zoe, Chief Negotiator of the Tlicho Agreement, as a way of teaching the Tlicho youth about that landmark achievement. Journal of a Travelling Girl has been read and endorsed by several Wekweètì community members and Elders. The book will appeal to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children for its relatable themes of family, loss, coming-of-age, and the struggle to connect with tradition and culture.

Reviews
"Journal of a Travelling Girl deserves to be in every northern classroom. There is so much to learn here, and there is so much to celebrate." —Richard Van Camp, Tlicho author of The Lesser Blessed and Moccasin Square Gardens

"Journal of a Travelling Girl is an absolutely wonderful and timely book that will appeal to girls and boys of any race, colour, or creed. During this time of reconciliation it is necessary for all young people to learn and embrace the ways of our Indigenous ancestors. This book will do that!" —Verna J. Kirkness, author of Creating Space: My Life and Work in Indigenous Education

"As a person born and raised right on the land, Nadine Neema's Journal of a Travelling Girl rings as true to me as the blue skies and open land she so lovingly recounts." —Antoine Mountain, Dene writer and artist

"Journal of a Travelling Girl is not only about people who generously welcome a young girl to share in a special journey, but it introduces readers to an important moment of history." —Kathy Lowinger, co-author (with Eldon Yellowhorn) of What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal and Turtle Island: The Story of North America's First People

"Nadine Neema presents a unique and enlightening glimpse into the customs and culture of the Wekweèti community while exploring themes of acceptance, tolerance, equality, and reparation. . . This is a crucial and timely story. A must read for young readers!" —Tina Athaide, author of Orange for the Sunsets

"A wonderful account, through the eyes of a young girl, of our people's ways of doing things today, guided by our strong history of storytelling." —Tammy Steinwand, Director, Department of Culture and Lands Protection, Tlicho Government

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 9 to 12.

Inspired by true events, this story was written at the request of John B. Zoe, Chief Negotiator of the Tlicho Agreement, as a way of teaching the Tlicho youth about that landmark achievement. Journal of a Travelling Girl has been read and endorsed by several Wekweètì community members and Elders. The book will appeal to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children for its relatable themes of family, loss, coming-of-age, and the struggle to connect with tradition and culture.

This book is told from an outsider's perspective (the main character is a non-Indigenous girl from outside the community), but the close friendships she has with the Indigenous characters and the lessons and skills she learns from the Elders in the story promote the concept of respect for Indigenous culture and knowledge, as well as the timely issue of reconciliation between Indigenous and settler populations.

Nadine Neema lived and worked in the northern community of Wekweètì for several years, first as a community manager, then assisting with their land claims and self-government negotiations under Chief Negotiator John B. Zoe.

The canoe trip chronicled in the book is actually a yearly custom among the Wekweètì people, which ends at the site of the Treaty Council. Neema has participated in this canoe trip several times. John B. Zoe asked Neema to write this book as a way of teaching Wekweètì youth about the importance of the Agreement and the people who fought for years to gain control over their land and their government.

This is Neema’s first book, but she is an accomplished singer-songwriter who has released four albums. She was mentored by Leonard Cohen and has opened for artists such as Elton John, Joe Cocker and Cyndi Lauper.

Additional Information
144 pages | 5.50" x 8.00"

Begin and end the day with gratitude.

Award-winning author Richard Van Camp wanted to express his gratitude for all that surrounds him and his family. The strength of their connections, the nature that provides for them, the love that is endless. Complemented by photos from Indigenous women photographers who celebrate their own gratefulness on the collective blog Tea&Bannock, the simple verse in May We Have Enough to Share is the perfect way to start or end your little one's days in gratitude.

Educator Information
Ages 2 and under.

Themes: gratitude, sharing, community, mindfulness, babies, toddlers

Additional Information
24 pages | 7.00" x 7.00"

Richard Van Camp, internationally renowned storyteller and bestselling author of the hugely successful Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns, has partnered with talented illustrator Julie Flett to create a tender board book for babies and toddlers that honors the child in everyone. With its delightful contemporary illustrations, Little You is perfect to be shared, read or sung to all the little people in your life—and the new little ones on the way!

Awards
- 2013 BC Books for Babies winner
- 2015 R. Ross Annett Award winner
- 2016 American Indian Library Association Best Picture Book winner

Reviews
"Van Camp composes a lyrical ode to a newborn child, which is matched in its loveliness by Flett's exquisite, collage-like images of a young one with his or her parents. Both collaborators are of aboriginal Canadian descent, and the book will have particular appeal for families looking for nonwhite representations of tender family moments. But families of every size, shape, and background can appreciate sentiments like, 'You are life and breath adored/ You are us and so much more/ Little ember with growing light/ Feel our love as we hold you tight.'" — Publishers Weekly, March 2013

"A sweet little board book...Richard Van Camp has written a beautiful poem that describes the feelings of parenthood...The illustrations, done by Julie Flett, are both simple, and bold at the same time...and helped bring such beautiful words to life. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys curling up with their little one with a good book. It's a nice quick little read, that captured my little one's attention right away. It's got a great message that I hope she'll remember for the rest of her life." — Just Trying to Let it Be blog, May 2013

"The spreads lovingly depict a young child growing from infancy to toddlerhood...The text has the gentle cadence of a lullaby...Flett, who is of Cree Métis heritage, gives each character tawny skin, almond-shaped eyes and dark hair. This, combined with her sophisticated and simple style, allows her featured family to represent relatively broad branches of the human family. The art, with the look of cut-paper collage, uses curved forms and playful prints to flesh out the affectionate tableaux...The soothing rhythms of the language and the affection of the scenes are right on target. A poetic and joyful celebration." — Kirkus Reviews, August 2013

Educator Information
This book is available in French: Tout petit toi

The third title in "The Land is Our Storybook" series, by and about the people of the Northwest Territories, for readers at grade 4 - 7 level.

In Living Stories, Therese Zoe translates the stories and traditional wisdom of Tlicho Elders Philip Zoe and Elizabeth Chocolate.

Therese Zoe is a Tlicho woman from Gamèti in the Northwest Territories. She is a community health representative, a mother and grandmother, as well as a champion of ancestral skills and stories. In Living Stories, Therese shares her love for her community and translates the sacred stories and traditional wisdom of her brother-in-law, Philip Zoe, and his sister, Elizabeth Chocolate. As Therese writes, "You might look at our lands and think they are empty, but we do not go hungry. The land gives us our food and our shelter. It holds our stories and our histories. It gives us everything we need."

Join Tlicho young people, Shelinda, Forest, and Bradley, as they learn about making dry-fish, bows and arrows, and birch-bark baskets; the practices of old-time healers; as well as the sacred stories that tell the history of the Tlicho people. Some of the stories Philip relates in this book have never been written down before - his versions of sacred stories are a gift to young readers across Canada, to be used wisely. The Tlicho Nation was the first in the Northwest Territories to gain self-government. With Elders such as Philip and Elizabeth passing along their traditional wisdom to the young, as well as knowledge gained since the Tlicho first encountered European peoples, the Tlicho are showing how they are, "strong like two people."

Reviews
"Living Stories is a heartfelt tribute to the culture of the Tlicho or Dogrib nation. . . All of the information is presented in a very personal way so that young readers unfamiliar with the first nations culture in the north can realize this is a real way of life for some people, not something from 'long ago and far away'. . . Photographer Tessa Macintosh, a southerner whose children are Tlicho, has done a wonderful job of including pictures of the land and the people, some posed to represent the subject under discussions, many in cheerful candid shots." — CM Magazine

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the "The Land Is Our Storybook" series, which considers the diverse lands and cultures of Canada's Northwest Territories. Told in a uniquely diverse range of northern voices, with a child-centred approach, books in the series highlight each official Aboriginal language group in the NWT, revealing a richly textured picture of life in the North-on the trapline, around the campfire, in communities, at school, and within the outdoor school that is the land itself. The series celebrates the seasons, ages, genders, traditional activities, and communities of the NWT.

The stories are illustrated by the striking images of acclaimed northern photographer, Tessa Macintosh and depict the similarities in lifestyle between children of the North and South, as well as the marked cultural differences, and highlight the special relationship these First Nations people have with the land and how they are adapting to rapid change while remaining connected to the land. Images of the landscape and animals within it, of trapping, hunting, fishing, and bannock baking sit alongside pictures of children at school, swimming at recreation centres, and reading in libraries. Here is modern northern culture painted beautifully: a complex mix of the new and the old.

These wonderful books, written with a variety of provincial and territorial curricula in mind, are specially designed for the classroom and include special features such as glossaries relating details on animals biology and cultural definitions, regional and language maps. The text of the stories also have sidebars such as Our Stories, which contain the stories of the people and language group featured, and Our Words, which highlight words in the featured language that are important to the story.

Recommended Grade Level: 4-7

This resource is also available in French: Nos histoires sont vivantes

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photographs and illustrations throughout

Maintaining the Dene storytelling tradition of passing along the teachings to their children, John Blondin relayed the story of The Legend of the Caribou Boy as he heard it from his father, George Blondin a respected Elder and storyteller. Now written down in dual language the legend is passed on to you. Discover one small part of Dene history and the lessons that have been passed on for generations.

A young boy is having trouble sleeping at night. he is being called to fulfill his destiny, a destiny which lives on today in the traditions and culture of the Dene people and their relationship to the caribou and the land on which they live.

The multimedia CD included allows readers to hear and see the Dogrib legend in Dogrib and English on a Mac or PC computer or insert it into a CD player to listen to the story in either language.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 8.

Additional Information
40 pages | 10.00" x 8.00"

Yamozha and His Beaver Wife is a story based upon an oral legend of the Dene people. Yamozha stories entertain but also teach and pass on knowledge. In this story, Yamozha forgets his promise to his wife and as a result she turns into a giant beaver. He chases her all over Denedeh but is unable to catch her. This story tells of how this great medicine man shaped the land in the Dogrib region and surrounding areas into what it is today. 

Additional Information
48 pages | 12.30" x 10.02"