Book reflects Aboriginal presence

A Grade 10-11 textbook featuring First Nation, Inuit and Métis short stories, poetry, music lyrics, graphic art, articles and essays was launched June 22 at the Northern Woman’s Bookstore in Thunder Bay.
“These are stories that were either told to them or stories that come from the heart,” said Rachel Mishenene, who co-edited the McGraw-Hill Ryerson textbook along with Pamela Rose Toulouse. “These are their personal stories that reflect that Aboriginal presence.”
Mishenene and Toulouse selected and created lessons from the 31 pieces of creative work, of which about one third are from northwestern Ontario.
“We followed the Ontario curriculum and looked at the literacy component of that and how teachers could use that piece, whether it be an art piece, a song, a poem or whatever,” Mishenene said. “We developed lessons that reflected Ontario curriculum using the before, during, after and beyond method.”
The 149-page, soft-cover textbook, Strength and Struggle: Perspectives from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in Canada, is part of McGraw-Hill Ryerson’s iLit Collection of supplementary student resources for high school English courses.
The book features a speech by novelist Joseph Boyden, a graphic journal by filmmaker Nadia McLaren, a poem by former Rainy River chief Al Hunter, personal accounts by Darryl Sainnawap and Forrest Rain Shapwaykeesic, and artwork by Elliot Doxtater-Wynn.
It also includes biographies and photographs of the 30 authors, reading activities, summaries of the authors’ intentions in writing their selections, visual elements, and a glossary of literary terms.
Doxtater-Wynn’s artwork featured Indigenous innovations from across North America.
“People don’t realize how ingrained some of (these Indigenous innovations) are,” Doxtater-Wynn said, noting his section ties into a project he was doing in schools about the appropriation of Indigenous subject matter, ideas and themes. “When you have something like hockey or bunk beds, people don’t realize how closely related they are to traditional culture of North America.”
A form of hockey was played by Mi’kmaqs in Nova Scotia long before Europeans came to North America.
CBC Thunder Bay reporter Jody Porter helped select the stories used in the textbook.
“I had some general ideas from the educators, from Pam Toulouse and from Rachel (Mishenene), about what would work in the classroom,” Porter said. “But mostly I was just looking for stories that would connect to people, you know, the good people stories, the stories with good characters and emotion and passion and people who could tell those stories well.”
Some of the stories in the texbook were previously published in SEVEN youth magazine, including the story by Shapwaykeesic.
“He wrote a piece about his experience finishing high school,” Porter said. “We are hoping that really appeals to other kids who are struggling in high school and they see it can be done.”
Porter said McLaren’s graphic journal provided the textbook with a good combination of words and pictures.
“We were looking for visual pieces for things that would really appeal when you flip through the book and say ‘Wow, look at that.’”