By Calyssa Erb
June is Indigenous Peoples’ Month and this month, we’re highlighting stories from Cree authors. Cree, or nehiyawak, are the most widespread Indigenous peoples. Their traditional territory spans from Alberta to Quebec. This month, dive into stories of confidence, mystery, and family from Cree authors.
1) Hopeless in Hope by Wanda John-Kehewin (Young Adult)
For Eva Brown, life feels lonely and small. Her mother, Shirley, drinks and yells all the time. She’s the target of the popular mean girl, and her only friend doesn’t want to talk to her anymore. All of it would be unbearable if it weren’t for her cat, Toofie, her beloved nohkum, and her writing, which no one will ever see.
When Nohkum is hospitalized, Shirley struggles to keep things together for Eva and her younger brother, Marcus. After Marcus is found wandering the neighbourhood alone, he is sent to live with a foster family, and Eva finds herself in a group home.
Furious at her mother, Eva struggles to adjust—and being reunited with her family seems less and less likely. During a visit to the hospital, Nohkum gives Eva Shirley’s diary. Will the truths it holds help Eva understand her mother?
Heartbreaking and humorous, Hopeless in Hope is a compelling story of family and forgiveness.
2) The Case of the Pilfered Pin by Michael Hutchinson (Middle Grade)
The Mighty Muskrats’ new case affects the future of Windy Lake itself!
The Windy Lake First Nation’s lands have been shared with cottagers for fifty years, but no one can agree on where the reserve land ends. The only thing that can prove the boundary is a steel surveyor’s pin with the borders of the Windy Lake reserve etched into its head.
When the Mighty Muskrats hear that the pin was stolen years ago—and that it is connected to their grandpa’s mysterious past—they make it their mission to find the missing pin and prove that the land belongs to their people. But the mystery gets tense when Grandpa becomes a suspect. Cousins Sam, Otter, Atim, and Chickadee must find that pilfered pin!
3) Auntie’s Rez Surprise by Heather O’Watch, illustrated by Ellie Arscott (Picture Book)
tānisi! my little one, tānisi!
Auntie always greets Cree in Nehiyaw when she comes for a visit. When Auntie arrives with a surprise gift hidden in her bag, Cree can’t wait to discover what it is. The first clue? It’s from the rez. As Cree tries to figure out what it might be, the bag starts to move. Cree is thrilled when the bag opens and out jumps a rez puppy!
Cree asks Auntie how to take care of the new puppy. Auntie talks to Cree about the importance of dogs in their culture. They are our relatives, she explains, and need to be well taken care of. Cree decides she will name her new puppy “Atim”, the Nehiyaw word for dog.
*There is a bilingual version that has English and Plains Cree.
Ardo Omer