Folks, I have some exciting news! MY BOOK IS FINALLY COMING OUT!
JUST LOOK AT THIS BEAUTY!!!
This picture is from Nadya Kwandibens “Concrete Indians” series (http://www.redworks.ca/portfolio-category/concrete-indians/), featuring Jennifer Podemski.
At last I’ve collected and expanded some of the pieces found on this blog, and wrote some new ones! I spent a tonne of time curating resources for each chapter so that people interested in a specific subject can do further research, and get to know some of the amazing people out there doing awesome work on Indigenous issues.
This book is being published by HighWater Press, an imprint of Portage & Main Press as part of their Debwe series.
“Created in the spirit of the Anishinaabe concept debwe (to speak the truth), The Debwe Series is a collection of exceptional Aboriginal writings from across Canada.”
tâpwê!
Who is this book for?
I research and write pieces that are meant to be used by everyone – students, teachers, professionals, old-stock Canadians, newcomers, you name it – so that they can learn more about Indigenous peoples in this country. I try to be as accessible as possible, without losing any of the nuance. My hope is that this book will be used in schools, homes, and professional development settings across the country to give people a basic grounding in Indigenous issues in Canada!
Availability
You can pre-order the book now (YOU SHOULD DO THIS) and it will be ready at the beginning of September, well in time for Fall classes!
An ebook version for devices across all platforms will be ready August 2nd for $19.96.
If you want more details including pricing, availability, orders, shipping, getting books out to people by certain dates, and even getting books out into their local bookstores please email Teresa at: books@portageandmainpress.com
So what’s in it?
Here is the table of contents, divided into five broad themes:
I. The Terminology of Relationships
1. Just Don’t Call Us Late for Supper: Names for Indigenous Peoples
2. Settling on a Name: Names for Non-Indigenous Canadians
II. Culture and Identity
3. Got Status?: Indian Status in Canada
4. You’re Métis? Which of Your Parents Is an Indian?: Métis Identity
5. Feel the Inukness: Inuit Identity
6. Hunter-Gatherers or Trapper-Harvesters?: Why Some Terms Matter
7. Allowably Indigenous, to Ptarmigan or Not to Ptarmigan: When Indigeneity is Transgressive
8. Caught in the Crossfire of Blood Quantum Reasoning: Popular Notions of Indigenous Purity
9. What Is Cultural Appropriation?: Respecting Cultural Boundaries
10. Check the Tag on That Indian Story: How to Find Authentic Indigenous Stories
11. Icewine, Roquefort Cheese and the Navajo Nation: Indigenous Use of Intellectual Property Laws
12. All My Queer Relations: Language, Culture, and Two-Spirit Identity
III. Myth-Busting
13. The Myth of Progress
14. The Myth of the Level Playing Field
15. The Myth of Taxation
16. The Myth of Free Housing
17. The Myth of the Drunken Indian
18. The Myth of the Wandering Nomad
19. The Myth of Authenticity
IV. State Violence
20. Monster: The Residential School Legacy
21. Our Stolen Generations: The 60s and Millennial Scoops
22. Human Flagpoles: Inuit Relocation
23. From Hunters to Farmers: Indigenous Farming on the Prairies
24. Dirty Water, Dirty Secrets: Drinking Water in First Nations Communities
25. No Justice, No Peace: The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
V. Land, Learning, Law, and Treaties
26. Rights? What Rights?: Doctrines of Colonialism
27. Treaty Talk: The Evolution of Treaty-Making in Canada
28. The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same: Numbered Treaties and Modern Treaty-Making
29. Why Don’t First Nations Just Leave the Reserve?: Reserves are Not the Problem
30. White Paper, What Paper?: More Attempts to Assimilate Indigenous Peoples
31. Our Children, Our Schools: Fighting for Control Over Indigenous Education
33 Comments
LunarCritter · May 16, 2016 at 10:21 am
Oh. My. God! Congratulations! <3
nadia · May 16, 2016 at 10:31 am
many many congratulations!! I’ve spent years enjoying your posts and I look forward to the book. I am sure it will be a valuable resource for First Nations people and non First Nations across the country!
steffen58 · May 16, 2016 at 10:36 am
Congratulations Ms Vowel. I just pre-ordered 4 for friends and family.
âpihtawikosisân · May 16, 2016 at 10:41 am
Ha! That tickles me so much 😀 Thank you!
joefrommarathon · May 16, 2016 at 10:42 am
I am certainly developing an appreciation for your writing and would have easily paid the purchase price from the publisher but not the $12.50 for shipping. 50% of the book price. No way. If you are doing a signing or book tour somewhere Chelsea I will pick up a copy and if not I will ask a friend to pick it up when it hits the bookstore. I plan to get a copy for my Mom too.
âpihtawikosisân · May 16, 2016 at 10:51 am
Totally understandable! Whenever you get it, I hope you enjoy it!
Ben Sichel · May 18, 2016 at 1:19 pm
Hm, yeah the shipping plus tax is high so I’ll wait too…but will recommend to schools here in NS!
âpihtawikosisân · May 18, 2016 at 1:22 pm
Apparently the shipping cost is very reasonable when you order multiple copies, so a group order might be the thing to go with. Or, waiting until it’s available in store, OR getting it as an e-book in August!
Ben Sichel · May 18, 2016 at 3:27 pm
Ah ok got it!
Prescilla Gedeon · May 16, 2016 at 10:49 am
Great! Book
Michelle · May 16, 2016 at 10:53 am
Congratulations! I’m going to pre-order my copy now! Thank-you so much for writing this book. You just have a knack for making knowledge accessible and I’ve learned so much from your writings already.
Karen Starr · May 16, 2016 at 11:10 am
Congratulations! Can’t wait to read!! Will preorder as soon as I can!
Melinda Artz · May 16, 2016 at 11:19 am
Congratulations. Buying it!
galacticexplorer · May 16, 2016 at 11:46 am
Congrats! I don’t have much spending money at the moment, but this is going on my Christmas list.
hannah · May 16, 2016 at 11:46 am
amazing! Congratulations and thank you. Already I refer students regularly to your blog. Now I’ll be able to add the book to my course!
David McLaren · May 16, 2016 at 12:14 pm
A good and thoughtful addition to a long conversation.
Capt. John Swallow · May 16, 2016 at 12:41 pm
Brilliant! What a compendium o’ Cultural Knowledge…it should be required reading in every school in Canada (at least – they want to change, now is the time).
Perhaps a direct link to the book would make it easier to find for your readers: http://www.portageandmainpress.com/product/indigenous-writes/
Any plans for an e-Book version?
âpihtawikosisân · May 16, 2016 at 1:18 pm
The ebook version should be out in August!
Capt. John Swallow · May 16, 2016 at 12:42 pm
BTW, that’s a GREAT title!
âpihtawikosisân · May 16, 2016 at 1:17 pm
Thank you! Finding a title was actually really, really difficult!
rosefiend · May 16, 2016 at 12:43 pm
Oh good! Will preorder as soon as finances permit (I hope soon). I follow you on Twitter and I look forward to reading.
Dave · May 16, 2016 at 1:32 pm
Awesome. Hope this is the first of many!!!
Blog Woman!!! · May 16, 2016 at 2:41 pm
Such awesome news! You are an amazing and passionate teacher of the knowledge. I am thrilled to be able to have your work as a prominent piece in my arsenal of know-whats and know-hows.
Kelly Rodgers · May 16, 2016 at 3:12 pm
Well done. I just ordered five copies. Total shipping charges $15. Order in quantity to save shipping costs
RedChef · May 16, 2016 at 4:38 pm
HA HA!! I read the title of this post in my inbox as “Indigenous Whites”, and went, “WHAT?!”, immediately gearing up to get all indignant, and then opened it. Oopsie. 🙂
Thanks so much for this and all you do!
âpihtawikosisân · May 16, 2016 at 5:14 pm
Hahahaha!
Frank Busch · May 16, 2016 at 5:11 pm
Pre-ordered and looking forward to reading it! Kinonaskomitten!
rosalindawijks · May 17, 2016 at 3:38 am
Wow, that sounds amazing! I live in Holland, so it will be harder to buy it, but maybe there is a way I can order it directly from you?
âpihtawikosisân · May 17, 2016 at 7:18 am
Should be able to order from the publisher, I will not be selling copies directly! http://www.portageandmainpress.com/product/indigenous-writes/
Also, it will be available as an ebook in August!
Terry-Lee Marttinen · May 24, 2016 at 11:35 am
I am glad you covered the 60’s scoop. I am looking for information on the social welfare policy’s impact on identity, health, and links to suicide with long-term efffects on the families of 60’s scoop children. I will order your book when I can….thanks
for your work.
bob · June 9, 2016 at 9:22 am
This is AMAZING!
Nancy · June 16, 2016 at 10:10 pm
Another copy sold! Will set it in my calendar to pick up copies in September here in Winnipeg! Looking forward to the learning!
May: Spring in the Capital - Indigenous Walks · May 19, 2016 at 5:33 pm
[…] issues like status/non-status/metis, and even debunking some myths about Indigenous cultures. Indigenous Writes will be available at the beginning of September and can be enjoyed by anyone wanting to learn […]