Aboriginal Expression - Literature

Taken from: Windspeaker

Tuesday, January 10th, 2017 3:00pm

Blackflies will be available this month

“There were a few pages where I was cracking up while drawing because of the people reacting to the stench. And we don’t only have people reacting, but animals reacting too... I think kids will dig it.” ~ Jay Odjcik

By Andrea Smith
Windspeaker Contributor

A beloved children’s author just made history in children’s literature in Canada. Robert Munsch, known for his children’s books published through Scholastic Canada and shared in classrooms, bookstores, and public libraries across the country, will soon strike a chord with Canada’s First Nations people.

His upcoming release, Blackflies, uses a narrative shared with him by a First Nations family he met in Fort McMurray in 1996 and utilizes illustrations by First Nations artist Jay Odjick to help tell the story.

“I think it’s a great, fun and funny story. There’s no location given, but I know it’s based on a story Rob was told when he visited a First Nations community. He used to go to a lot of First Nations communities and the idea for this sprung from a kid telling him a story about blackflies and how bad they were,” said Odjick.

The story is about a young girl who wakes up one morning to all the snow around her home having melted. She is overwhelmed with joy at the prospect of going outside, but then sees the blackflies. She later watches various family members be picked up by “sixty-five gazillion mosquitoes and black flies” and carried away to the nearby forest.

Odjick says he had a fantastic time creating the drawings for the publication because the story line is so comical.

“She tries out increasingly stinky bug sprays… She tries out three before she finally goes ‘Ok, here’s the one I need,’” he said.

“There were a few pages where I was cracking up while drawing because of the people reacting to the stench. And we don’t only have people reacting, but animals reacting too... I think kids will dig it. Everybody finds stinky stuff funny, right?” he said.

Odjick is familiar with blackflies on a personal level because of where he grew up, on the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation in Quebec, the flies would come in droves during long, hot summers. Odjick says when the flies arrived it was hard to even bring himself to go outside and face them—much like how the girl in Munsch’s story feels.

Odjick has been creating illustrations for many years. He received his first rejection letter at age 11 from Marvel comics, after submitting personal drawings to them. Since then he has refined his practice, and has published various works, including some that have become a TV show—aired not just in Canada, but Australia as well.

He was fortunate to be able to draw for Blackflies from his own experiences to bring the Munsch story to life.

“Ninety-Five percent of it is outside, so I just drew it to look like where I was from. And I tried to draw things that denote a First Nations house, so traditional rugs, and a drum hanging on the wall, and some pottery… Things like that,” he said.

He’s worked with Munsch on projects in the past, but not anything that hit the mainstream. A number of Munsch books were translated into Anishinaabemowin for a local First Nations college under a language initiative a decade ago, and Blackflies was on that list. But Odjick didn’t have his original drawings when Scholastic called him last year for another round of publishing.

“Scholastic contacted me and asked me if I had art files for the other books and I said no, it’s been too long, but I’d be interested in drawing it again. I redrew it in September to December of the past year,” he said.

“I’m sure it’s much better now because this is after a decade of experience and having better hardware. Even if I had been able to go back and look at it I wouldn’t want it to influence what I do now,” said Odjick.

The most gratifying part for him is knowing that First Nations children will have the chance to see their faces reflected in popular books, like those in the Robert Munsch collection. Odjick feels when he was a kid, First Nations people were underrepresented in media, and for the most part still are.

“I think the most important thing in my career is to try to give our kids First Nations characters that look like them. It’s important to represent ourselves,” said Odjick.

“And a lot of kids already have a connection and an attachment to Robert Munsch... So I’m excited, and I think it’s really awesome,” he said.

The book will be available through Scholastic starting with bookfairs this month. For more information go to: http://robertmunsch.com/poem-story/blackflies

Taken from: BuzzFeed: posted on January 13th, 2017 

What does authenticity mean when it comes to fiction? The next time you’re looking for a page-turner, consider one of Canada’s authentic Indigenous authors who prove a strong sense of identity can go a long way.

(11) Indigenous Authors You Should Be Reading Instead of Joseph Boyden

Rosanna Deerchild - Cree broadcaster and poet Rosanna Deerchild is currently the host of Unreserved on CBC Radio One. Deerchild’s second book, Calling Down the Sky, is a deeply personal poetry collection about the residential school experience. The book tells the story of her own mother, as well as Deerchild’s struggles with the intergenerational trauma of residential schools.

Tracey Lindberg - Birdie is the first book from award-winning Cree academic writer and educator Tracey Lindberg. The critically-acclaimed novel is about a young woman’s experience of recovering from wounds of the past, informed by the lore and knowledge of Cree traditions. This powerful debut novel is described as being deeply personal, yet painfully familiar.

Katherena Vermette - Katherena Vermette is a Métis writer from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her first book, North End Love Songs (The Muses Company) won the 2013 Governor General Literary Award for Poetry. Her novel The Break was just released in fall 2016 and is already receiving critical acclaim.

Jordan Wheeler - Jordan Wheeler — of proud Cree, Ojibwa, Assiniboine, Irish, English, and Scottish heritage — is a Gemini Award-winning writer and television producer. Best known for his work scriptwriting and story editing popular Canadian TV series such as Arctic Air, renegadepress.com and North of 60; he has also written several books. Wheeler told BuzzFeed Canada why his stories are always close to home.“There’s comfort in knowing a place well enough to write about it,” he says. “I think that lends the stories and the characters an authenticity that wouldn’t be there if I set a story [in a place I’ve never been].”

Drew Hayden Taylor - Award-winning playwright, author, and humourist, Drew Hayden Taylor is a self-described “contemporary storyteller.” From performing stand-up comedy, to writing columns, to directing documentary films, Hayden Taylor has worn a variety of hats. His non-fiction works, Me Funny, is a highly successful book on Native humour. It is followed by Me Sexy, an exploration of Native sexuality.

Lee Maracle - Prolific Canadian literary figure Lee Maracle is of Salish and Cree ancestry and a member of the Stó:lō Nation. An expert on First Nations culture, she is an author, poet, artist, and activist. Her book, Talking to the Diaspora, is a “personal and profound” collection of poems that tie together the trauma and the beauty of Indigenous history for better understanding.

Waubgeshig Rice - Waubgeshig Rice is an author and journalist originally from Wasauksing First Nation. A digital storyteller, Rice began his career in journalism as a 17-year-old exchange student in Germany, writing about his experience as an Anishinaabe man living in Europe. He now works as a video journalist for CBC Ottawa. Set in the 1990’s, his first novel, Legacy, deals with violence against an Indigenous woman and the effect it has on her family. The novel’s themes of injustice and reconciliation are “as timely as today’s headlines.”

Chelsea Vowel - A Métis mother from Alberta, now living in Montréal, Vowel is a first-time author better known as the force behind “âpihtawikosisân.” Her popular blog and Twitter page offer keen insight and witty commentary in the Indigenous community. Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit Issues in Canada, is a collection of essays. Vowel takes an educated look at contemporary misconceptions and systematic issues Indigenous people in Canada face today.

Eden Robinson - Born in Kitamaat, British Columbia, Eden Robinson is a member of the Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations. Her critically acclaimed novel Monkey Beach was shortlisted for both the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Literary Award.Both a mystery and a spiritual journey, Monkey Beach tells the story of a teenage girl trying to understand her younger brother’s disappearance. Robinson draws on experience growing up in Kitamaat Village for a compelling cultural read.

Richard Van Camp - Richard Van Camp is an internationally renowned Tłı̨chǫ writer, hailing from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. Van Camp began his writing career working as an intern on the television series North of 60. His book (and only novel) The Lesser Blessed is a critically acclaimed bestseller. It tells the story of a teen boy named Larry Sole, who after losing much of his memory in a violent accident, loves nothing more than reading and “collecting stories” — until he befriends the new kid in town and shakes up his entire life. The Lesser Blessed was also adapted into a critically-acclaimed film that premiered at TIFF.

Go to the Author Profile Assignment. Remember that you will use your Google Docs account from Red Deer Catholic Schools (@rdcrs.ca account). All of your assignments need to be created using Google. Do not cut and paste your assignments from Word to Google! Google allows the teacher to see a time stamped revision history of all of your work; thus, this authenticates that it is your work.

This link will take you back to the page that explains how to submit an assignment.