will live is close to River’s new school and she won’t live in residence. River was not consulted in the decisions. What about what she wants? Angry, she climbs on a bus and heads, early, without telling anyone, to her Dad and Nokomis.
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River’s actions and the time spent with her Ojibwe grandmother, father, family, and community take her on a learning and healing journey. The positivity that prevails while experiencing the precariousness of growing up is a WHY WE SHOULD READ new experience to River, and to many readers. Our reading group iver has grown up as “the expressed in several ways how only native girl” in an we wished we had had such Ontario farming community. She’s graduated from high school a community to hold us up as we grew into adulthood. With and looks forward to days at the the strength of her Ojibwe beach with her friends, and then community, River finds a path traveling to her Ojibwe Dad and that will prepare her to walk Nokomis and their community forward, fully into the heart of for the rest of summer. What the matter. Powwow Summer was to be a period of exciting is a perceptive and essential change brings more problems tale. (This is a fine illustration than River has foreseen. She of Why Indigenous Literatures is already struggling with her Matter by Daniel Heath Justice.) sense of self. Her mother and her Nahinni Shingoose is Saulteaux, teacher, both French, introduced her to dancing at powwows at age and a member of Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation in ten; still fancy shawl dancing at Manitoba. 18, her high school friends call this “connected to your culture”. But River needs more; she’s The Warmland Book and looking for her own identity. She Film Collective – explore, recognizes the need to become celebrate, and learn from a person who can make sense of Indigenous authors and her world.
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Having been accepted into university in the fall, she’ll live in residence. Uncomplicated she thinks, new and exciting! Then, something outside her control alters her direction. River’s white stepfather’s behaviour hastens the need for River’s mother to leave the abusive relationship, an event that changes everything. Yes, university still, but the new community where her mother
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filmmakers – meeting the 2nd Wednesday/each month. Next meeting is August 12 and the next reading is Glass Beads by Dawn Dumont. This book is available as an eBook and as a Downloadable Audiobook at VIRL. Questions? warmlandcollective@gmail. com
Submitted by Miyo Stevens
