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Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95The story of Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters is a very old Mi’kmaw legend. It happens in the North Sky as the stars that show the story of Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters move around Tatapn, the North Star.
In pictures in this book you can see how these stars, shown as they appear two hours before dawn, move through the night sky. They are in a different position each of the seasons because they are the time-keepers, the calendar. All through the year, as the stars and plants travel through the sky, the Mi’kmaq watch the story of Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters as it unfolds before their eyes.
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L’Nu’k: The People Mi’kmaw History, Culture and Heritage
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95The Mi’kmaq lived in Canada long before the country even got its name. Before Europeans arrived, they lived in homes called wigwams and hunted and fished throughout the Maritime provinces, living off and giving back to the land. They enjoyed storytelling, drumming, and dancing within their tightknit communities.
In L’nuk: the Mi’kmaq of Atlantic Canada, First Nations educator Theresa Meuse traces the incredible lineage of today’s Mi’kmaq people, sharing the fascinating details behind their customs, traditions, and history. Discover the proper way to make Luski (Mi’kmaw bread), the technique required for intricate quillwork and canoebuilding, what happens at a powwow, and how North America earned its Indigenous name, Turtle Island.
Includes informative sidebars, highlighted glossary terms, recommended reading, a historic timeline, index, and over 60 fullcolour historical and contemporary images.
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Elapultiek (We Are Looking Towards) A Play
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$19.95Set in contemporary times, a young Mi’kmaw drum singer and a Euro-Nova Scotian biologist meet at dusk each day to count a population of endangered Chimney Swifts (kaktukopnji’jk). They quickly struggle with their differing views of the world. Through humour and story, the characters must come to terms with their own gifts and challenges as they dedicate efforts to the birds. Each “count night” reveals a deeper complexity of connection to land and history on a personal level.
Inspired by real-life species at risk work, shalan joudry originally wrote this story for an outdoor performance.
Elapultiek calls on all of us to take a step back from our routine lives and question how we may get to understand our past and work better together. The ideal of weaving between Indigenous and non-Indigenous worlds involves taking turns to speak and to listen, even through the most painful of stories, in order for us all to heal. We are in a time when sharing cultural, ecological, and personal stories is vital in working towards a peaceful shared territory, co-existing between peoples and nature.
“It’s a crucial time to have these conversations,” offers joudry. “The power of story can engage audience and readers in ways that moves them to ask more questions about the past and future.”
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Working from Home for a Harmonious Life
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$19.95Since Luc Desroches began working from his home office in 2016, he has been writing about how the move has allowed him to create a more harmonious life for both himself and his family. This book was mostly written pre-COVID-19, when working from home was more the exception than the rule. With almost every employee on the planet being encouraged to work from home where possible, COVID-19 has made the necessary transition from office to home more important than ever. Although there’s an explosion of teleworking articles with best practice tips, the author delves much deeper into the personal experience as he reflects on the values and teachings of the Mi’kmaq people who have worked from their homes for over ten thousand years.
The deeper messages of the book are perennial, which is what we need as we face unprecedented challenges. Now is an opportunity for millions of people to make a more informed decision on whether they should continue working from home or return to their pre-COVID workplaces. Now is a potential tipping point that could lead to a happier and healthier life for the individual and for society as a whole.
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The Mi’kmaq Anthology Volume 2 In Celebration of the Life of Rita Joe
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$21.95Theresa Meuse is the former chief of Bear River First Nation and has worked in various jobs with Mi’kmaq organizations. She is an educator and advisor and author of a children’s book, The Sharing Circle. Lesley Choyce is the publisher of Pottersfield Press, an English instructor in Dalhousie University’s Transition Year Program and the author of several books.
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Mi’kmaw Daily Drum Mi’kmaw Culture for Every Day of the Week
Artist: Alan SyliboyPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95Mi’kmaq artist Alan Syliboy’s daily drum artworks paired with a different day of the week in an accessible and beautiful baby board book.
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I Place You into the Fire Poems
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$18.95In Mi’kmaw, three similarly shaped words have drastically different meanings: kesalul means “I love you”; kesa’lul means “I hurt you”; and ke’sa’lul means “I put you into the fire.” Spoken word artist Rebecca Thomas’ first poetry collection is at once a meditation on navigating life and love as a second-generation Residential School survivor, a lesson in unlearning, and a rallying cry for Indigenous justice, empathy, and equality.
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I’m Finding My Talk
Artist: Pauline YoungPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95I’m Finding My Talk reflects on the destructive effects on colonialism, rediscovering community and finding culture. Former Halifax Poet Laureate and second-generation residential school survivor Rebecca Thomas writes honestly and powerfully in this companion piece to Rita Joe’s I Lost My Talk. With vibrant illustrations from Mi’kmaw artist Pauline Young.
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I Lost My Talk
Artist: Pauline YoungPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Rita Joe’s essential poetry is presented anew in this children’s picture book with illustrations from Pauline Young. Joe, known as the Poet Laureate of the Mi’kmaw, tells her childhood story of losing her language at Shubenacadie’s residential school. Mi’kmaw culture and language are celebrated in this collection, which joins current conversations about Canada’s shameful history, truth and reconciliation.
Published simultaneously with the companion book I’m Finding My Talk by Rebecca Thomas.
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Counting in Mi’kmaw / Mawkiljemk Mi’kmawiktuk
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95One is Ne’wt, for one bear. Two is Ta’pu, for two women making offerings. Counting from one to ten in English and Mi’kmaw, baby is introduced to both the ancestral language of Mi’kmaki and to Mi’kmaw culture and legend, through beautifully rendered illustrations of important animals, like turtle, bear, and beaver, to concepts integral to the Mi’kmaw world view, like the Four (Ne’w) Directions, and the Seven (L’luiknek) Mi’kmaw teachings. Features bright and detailed illustrations from celebrated Waycobah-based Mi’kmaw illustrator, Loretta Gould.
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Old Man Told Us (new edition)
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$26.95The Mi’kmaq people have been living in what is now Atlantic Canada for two thousand years or more, yet written history has largely ignored them, presenting them merely as a homogeneous mass or as statistics. Renowned Micmac specialist Ruth Holmes Whitehead, formerly staff ethnologist and assistant curator in history at the Nova Scotia Museum, tries to redress that omission by restoring to the collective memory a true sense of the Mi’kmaq. In this rich collection, oral and written, Mi’kmaq accounts juxtapose contemporary European perceptions of native peoples, as documented in letters, journals, court cases, and much more. Above all, The Old Man Told Us is a historical jigsaw puzzle, a display of fragments of broken mirror in which one can capture moments in the lives of particular people. It is a book of excerpts from whatever scattered documentation has survived over the centuries.
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Ninen Na Mi’kma’ji’jk (CD)
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$9.99Ninen na Mi’kma’ji’jk, a CD of Mi’kmaw rhymes and songs, will delight young children. The CD features Dr. Bernie Francis, accomplished musician and respected authority on the Mi’kmaw language. The CD includes a reading of Weska’qelmut Apje’juanu, the Mi’kmaw translation of Sheree Fitch’s popular book Kisses Kisses Baby O!
Early childhood experiences play an important role in preserving language and culture, and this CD will bring the richness of the Mi’kmaw language to listeners. Includes a booklet with all lyrics in both Mi’kmaq and English. Ninen na Mi’kma’ji’jk is the perfect resource for those who wish to encourage and enjoy the Mi’kmaw language.
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Algonquians, Hurons and Iroquois Champlain Explores America 1603-1616
Editor: Edward BournePublisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95“If we compare him with the other explorers and founders of that age he stands above them all in the range of achievement” –Edward Gaylord Bourne, Introduction As the first explorer to provide an accurate and detailed account of Nova Scotia and New England, Samuel de Chaplain is synonymous with early observations of North American Aboriginal peoples, interactions between New World inhabitants and European colonial powers, and the founding of New France. Chaplain’s meticulous and fascinating historical records of his seventeenth-century explorations continue to illuminate early life in North America, hundreds of years later.
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The Sharing Circle Stories about First Nations Culture
Artist: Arthur StevensPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$13.95Matthew loves to play games with his friends and share his toys with them. But most of all he loves to share the special treasures that remind him of his First Nations culture. Perhaps his favourite treasure is the medicine pouch that his grandfather made especially for him. This is where he keeps many of his other treasures, including the sacred herbs his mother gave him. Matthew uses the herbs to remind him to be grateful for everything that nature gives us. Another special gift is the eagle feather from his father. Matthew knows that the eagle is a symbol of the spiritual strength of his culture. But there is one other gift that has a special place in Matthew’s heart. It is the dream catcher that Matthew gave to his friend Dustin to help him not have bad dreams. The Sharing Circle is a collection of seven stories about First Nations culture and spiritual practices: The Eagle Feather, The Dream Catcher, The Sacred Herbs, The Talking Circle, The Medicine Wheel, The Drum, and The Medicine Pouch.
Researched and written by Mi’kmaw children’s author Theresa Meuse-Dallien, and beautifully illustrated by Mi’kmaw illustrator Arthur Stevens, this book will engage and inform children of all ages.
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Ta’n Wetapeksi’k Understanding From Where We Come
Editor: Leah Morine Rosenmeier, Tim BernardPublisher: The Confederacy of Mnlnd.Mi'kmaq$34.95At the centre of the Mi’kmaw homeland, the Debert, Nova Scotia archaeological sites continue to be the touchstone not only for North American archaeology, but for human history. This book contains the proceeding of the 2005 Debert Research Workshop and includes the written contributions of presenters and brings together an international group of scholars and experts in a wide range of disciplines.
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Song of Rita Joe Autobiography of a Mi’kmaw Poet
Publisher: Breton Books$21.95Song of Rita Joe is a book of exceptional courage and insight, the words of a gentle woman who fought for her family, justice, and her own independent voice. She faced intolerance, ignorance, and abuse, searched her inheritance for strength, and wrote poems of clarity and encouragement that continue to inspire not only her people but all people.
Finally, she was a humble woman, an honoured Mi’Kmaw elder, poet, and member of the Order of Canada.
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Ce n’etait pas nous les sauvages Le choc centre les civilisations europeennes et autochtones
Publisher: Bouton d'or Acadie$29.95As a person of First Nation ancestry I cannot help but wonder if the failure of Caucasian Americans and Canadians to reveal and teach about the horrors their ancestors carried out against North American First Nation Peoples is a deliberate cover-up, or an indication they hold within their minds a notion the life of a First Nation person is valueless—not worthy of human considerations. The latter is probably the more plausible, because it is an unchallengeable fact that the crimes against humanity committed against our peoples over the centuries by people of European descent are not viewed with the same abhorrence by Caucasians that such crimes against other races of people are viewed. If such were the case there would be unconditional condemnation of it, and the knowledge would be readily available and taught in schools. -FROM THE INTRODUCTION
This updated edition incorporates Daniel Paul’s ongoing research. It clearly and profoundly shows that the horrors of history still rain upon the First Nations people of the present.
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Une journee poney! Pemkiskahk’ciw ahahsis!
Artist: Paul LangPublisher: Bouton d'or Acadie$14.95Joséphine looks at her grandfather and wonders whether he’s serious. After all, he loves to joke around! A pony has neither a steering wheel to drive it, nor seat to sit in… how will she ever stay on a pony and guide it to the pond?
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Minegoo the Mi’Kmaq Creation Story of Prince Edward Island
Publisher: Acorn Press$13.95A long time ago, the Great Spirit created all of the sky and stars but it wasn’t enough. He then made a beautiful place called Minegoo, a place so beautiful that He almost placed it amongst the stars. He decided that instead, he would place Minegoo in the most beautiful spot on earth. He summoned Kluskap and asked him to find this spot. After searching the whole world, Kluskap found the Shining Waters, the spot in the Gulf of St. Lawrence that would be home of the Mi’kmaq people created in his own image.
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Ni’n na L’nu The Mi’kmaq of Prince Edward Island
Publisher: Acorn Press$19.95- Winner of APMA Best Atlantic-Published Book Award
- Winner of PEI Book Award for Non-fiction
This lavishly-illustrated book tells a story through words and images that has never before been told, not in any single book. The focus is entirely on the Mi’kmaq of the Island, an island which for thousands of years has been known to the Mi’kmaq and their ancestors as Epekwitk. That name means “cradle on the sea” and no more poetic description of PEI has ever been penned. The story of the PEI Mi’kmaq is one of adaptation and perseverance across countless generations in the face of pervasive change. Today’s environment is far from what it was millennia ago. So too, the economy, society, lifestyle, language and religion of the people has witnessed some dramatic shifts. Nonetheless, despite all the changes, today’s Mi’kmaq feel deeply connected to the Island in its entirety and to their ancestors and the values they still share. This book tells those many stories, and communicates much more. While the book is a stand-alone publication, it is also a companion to a travelling exhibition of the same name.
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Mi’kmaq
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Another in the series of books detailing the culture of the many people who make up the population of the Maritimes. A history of origins, settlement and contribution to Maritime life.
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The Thundermaker
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Mi’kmaw artist Alan Syliboy’s The Thundermaker is based on Alan’s spectacular mixed-media exhibit of the same name. In the book, Big Thunder teaches his son, Little Thunder, about the important responsibility he has making thunder for his people. Little Thunder learns about his Mi’kmaw identity through his father’s teachings and his mother’s traditional stories. Syliboy’s spectacular, vibrant artwork brings the story of Little Thunder to vivid life.
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Weska’qelmut Apje’juanu
Artist: HildaRosePublisher: Nimbus Publishing$6.50Weska’qelmut Apje’juanu is the Mi’kmaq language translation of Kisses Kisses Baby-O! Kisses Kisses Baby-O! is a story for newborns told from the point of view of a parent or caregiver, but with high interaction with baby’s world and tuned to events in baby’s day.
Beloved Canadian children’s author Sheree Fitch delivers what she’s famous for: fun, intelligent, participatory text that is a joy to read. Using rhythm and onomatopoeia, Sheree’s bubbly text begins with baby waking, and follows through eating, bathing, playing, and finally sleeping.
Repetition, rhythm and active verbs create a lively story that can be read again and again. Heart-warming illustrations by HildaRose combine realism and a whimsical, artistic style, while paying close attention to the needs of newborn readers, including such elements as: stimulating visuals, patterns, baby faces, cultural diversity and interaction with others. And babies will drool over the small, easy to hold format! Translated from English by Bernie Francis.
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An Inuk Boy Becomes a Hunter
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95For hundreds of years, Inuit of northern Labrador employed their ingenuity, courage, and deep sense of community to meet the challenges of living in a harsh environment. In the process, they developed a rich culture of customs and traditions that strengthened their family and community life as well their relationship with the natural world.
But with the encroachment of the modern world and the depletion of wildlife and fish stocks, the Inuit way of life has changed dramatically. In the authentic voice of a storyteller, John Igloliorte describes the Inuit way of life and the changes that are breaking down their time-honoured traditions. He shares with us the wondrous experiences of an Inuk boy’s life- from his earliest childhood memories, to when, at thirteen, he became a hunter. -
Amalamkwa’Tekemkewey: Mi’kmaw Colouring Book
Publisher: The Confederacy of Mnlnd.Mi'kmaq$6.95This is more than just a colouring book. It is designed to help teach kids the Mi’kmaw language. Each page has the English and Mi’kmaw words for the objects present.
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Our Grandmothers’ Words Traditional Stories For Nurturing
Publisher: Cape Breton University Press$14.95Traditional child-raising practices recognize that you begin to raise a child from the moment you know you are pregnant. Through traditional stories, Grandmothers’ understandings guide and nurture parents and children as they grow together.
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The Gathering
$22.95Alex is attending her first Mi’kmaw spiritual gathering, or mawiomi. Though she is timid at first, older cousin Matthew takes her under his wing. Meeting Elders along the way, they learn about traditional Mi’kmaw culture: the sacred fire, drumming, tanning and moccasin decorating, basket- and canoe-making, and enjoy a Mi’kmaw feast. Most importantly, Alex finds her voice in the talking circle.
With contemporary illustrations by the bestselling illustrator Art Stevens, The Gathering is an inclusive story that will educate and entertain Indigenous and non-Indigenous readers alike.
