The Gift of the Little People (Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Ithiniwak)

by William Dumas (Author) Rhian Brynjolson (Illustrator)

The Gift of the Little People (Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Ithiniwak)
I don't recall seeing books when I was a little boy. But the old people, they grew up listening to stories. And so, every night, when the old people were done their evening prayers, they would sit and they would tell us stories too.At the time of the spring thaw, the Rocky Cree fill their canoes with furs, eager to trade with the new visitors in mistiwāsahak (Hudson Bay). But not all of the new visitors are welcome.When the canoes return home to the shores of the misinipī river, the Rocky Cree begin to collapse one by one, drenched in sweat and slowly slipping into delirium. Kākakiw struggles to help the sick as more and more people pass into the spirit world. Exhausted physically, emotionally, and spiritually, he seeks guidance through prayer.Hope finally comes with a visitor in the night: one of the Little People, small beings who are just like us. If Kākakiw can journey to their home, he will be given the medicine his people need. All he has to do is paddle through a cliff of solid bedrock to get there.To save his people from certain death, Kākakiw must overcome doubt to follow the traditional teachings of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak and trust in the gift of the Little People.In this illustrated short story for all ages, celebrated Rocky Cree storyteller William Dumas shares a teaching about hope in the face of adversity. This book is a companion story to The Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak series.
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$22.95

Review quotes

A tale rich with warmth and wonder that not only documents traditions but carries them on.

—David A. Robertson, author The Barren Grounds
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781553799924
Lexile Measure
870
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Highwater Press
Publication date
February 22, 2022
Series
The Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Ithiniwak
BISAC categories
JUV015020 - Juvenile Fiction | Health & Daily Living | Diseases, Illnesses & Injuries
JUV039220 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Values & Virtues
JUV016170 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | Canada - Pre-Confederation (to 1867)
JUV038000 - Juvenile Fiction | Short Stories
JUV030090 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Canada - Native Canadian
Library of Congress categories
Diseases
Indigenous peoples
Leprechauns
Hudson Bay

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