This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
LINDSTROM
Written by award-winning and New York Times bestselling author CAROLE
Illustrated by STEPH LITTLEBIRD
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
For my mom and grandma, and all survivors of Indian boarding schools.
Your hair is your power. Giga-waabamin. —C.L.
To the next seven generations of Indigenous creatives and innovators —S.L.
The illustrations for this book were conceived with a pencil and sketchbook, then brought to life in Procreate.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4197-5943-7
Text © 2023 Carole Lindstrom Illustrations © 2023 Steph Littlebird Book design by Heather Kelly
Published in 2023 by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
Printed and bound in China 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Abrams Books for Young Readers are available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specification. For details, contact specialsales@abramsbooks.com or the address below.
Abrams® is a registered trademark of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Written by CAROLE LINDSTROM by STEPH LITTLEBIRD
Abrams Books for Young Readers New York
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
I can’t wait for my hair to grow.
Mom never had long hair— she was told hers was too wild.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
Nokomis couldn’t have long hair—
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
hers was taken.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
Our ancestors say: Our hair is our memories. Our source of strength.
An extension of us.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
When Nimishoomis taught me
how to fish for the first time, my hair was at my ears.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
His stories and the memories of that day are woven into my hair.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
Our ancestors say: We grow our hair long to be close to Mother Earth.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
When my baby brother was born, my hair touched my shoulders.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
The gift of welcoming him into the world is woven into my hair.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
Our ancestors say: Our hair carries energies and power.
It is a celebration of our lives.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
When my cousins taught me how to make moccasins, my hair was past my shoulders.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
All of the laughter and stories from that day are woven into my hair.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
Our ancestors say: When a loved one braids your hair, it reinforces the sacredness of your relationship.
When my hair reached the middle of my back, Auntie Delia braided it so that I could dance at Pow Wow.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
All of her teachings and prayers are woven into my hair.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
Our ancestors say: Our hair is our medicine.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
The vibrancy of our culture and our connections to the earth and to each other are woven through our hair.
When Nimishoomis journeyed on to the spirit world, my hair was past my waist.
I cut it.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
I sent it into the spirit world with him so that he could have my energies.
I’m growing my hair long again. Mom says she wants to grow hers too.
We’ll do it together. This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
NATIVE/INDIGENOUS PEOPLES BELIEVE THAT HAIR HOLDS STRENGTH and power. Some tribes may be different in how they wear their hair and the specific traditions they honor, but a common thread across many Indigenous cultures is the importance of hair.
Hair is a physical manifestation of the spirit. Cutting, burying, and burning hair carries strong significance and meaning. In some tribes, it is a tradition to cut your hair and bury it with a loved one for them to bring energies along on their spirit journey.
Hair is an extension of Native Peoples and holds dreams, memories, joys, trials, tribulations, and triumphs. Hair is a living “scrapbook” always carried with us, giving strength and courage.
Ojibwe Glossary
Giga-waabamin: I shall see you
Nimishoomis: my grandfather
Nokomis: my grandmother
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
When I was growing up, my mother would not let me grow my hair long. She also did not have long hair. My mom’s hair was short in every picture I ever saw of her as a young girl. It was always chopped above her ears. I always wondered why she kept it so short. She had beautiful, thick black hair. She was full-blooded Anishinaabe/Métis through and through. I could never understand it. And I knew that even she didn’t know why. Until one day I found a picture of my grandmother and her two sisters, my greataunts. All three of them had shorn black hair above their ears. Like my mom. It was a blackand-white photo. All three sisters had on bright white smocks that stood out in that photo. Mom said the photo was from when they were forced into an Indian boarding school in the early 1900s.
I didn’t understand then. But now I do.
Now I understand that many Native Americans of that era, like my grandmother, were forced into boarding schools, often at gunpoint. They were sent far away from their families and weren’t permitted to return until summertime, if at all. If the children didn’t return from summer break on time, the parents would then receive a harsh letter of reprimand from the school. I have such a letter that was sent to my great-grandfather from the boarding school that my grandmother and her sisters were
forced into. It broke my heart to see his reply, begging to keep my great-aunt at home longer to help him out on their farm.
Some children never made it back to their families. Many died in the boarding schools from disease and abuse. Their languages, ceremonies, and cultures were stripped from them. The motto of the Indian boarding schools was “Kill the Indian, save the man.” When children finally returned to their families after years in the boarding schools, they didn’t know their Indigenous languages any longer. Didn’t know their ceremonies. Didn’t know their culture. It was all intended to die in those boarding schools. And it did die.
I understand that, to my grandmother, long hair was taught to be a sign of “wildness” and “savageness.” For her not to be seen that way, she had to keep her hair short. And her daughter’s hair. And her granddaughter’s hair.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
Once I discovered where that mindset originated from, I knew I had to grow my hair long and break the vicious cycle. Now was my chance to reclaim my identity and return the power of my ancestors to my family by growing my power. And now, I share my story with others so that they can understand who we are. And why our hair is celebrated for the strength, power, and resilience that it holds.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
This is an advance, uncorrected proof. Not for resale, duplication, or reposting. Please do not quote without comparison to the finished book.
