3. TPatT - Indigenous Texts in French | The People and the Text

: Racine profonde…; In this poem, the author reflects on all that she has learned from her Elders and from the land. She left in order to find the knowledge that would help her people, but she feels as if in exile. Memory is what gives her the strength to continue; exile is what reinforced her sense of self and pride.

: Recettes indiennes et survie en forêt; This book is a combination of Survival in the Bush and Indian recipes, both written by the same author., Published by Leméac, under the Series: (Coll. “Ni-t’chawama/Mon ami mon frère”)

: Recettes typiques des Indiens; [Translated as Indian recipes. Copp. Clark Pub. Co., 1972] This book contains recipes for traditional foods and meals.

: Retour de l’Île à la Tortue; In this piece, the author discusses Georges Sioui’s book Les Wendats. Une civilisation inconnue as being a “true rereading of History by an Indigenous [scholar].” No historical approach is ever innocent, he states; what is at work here is a “desire to produce a necessary spiritual healing” and to refuse to renounce one’s indigeneity in the name of science., While we have indicated a primary genre, there is a need to better represent Indigenous writings and contemplate how some fall outside the traditional fiction/non-fiction binary.

: Sagana. Contes fantastiques du pays algonkin.; This collection contains 7 speculative fantasy-type short stories and a lexicon. The first story tells of a great deluge caused by the angry Kijé-Manito following the murder of six hunters. The second story tells of a clumsy young man and his flying canoe. The third story is about a young woman who was “so much like her mother” and her quest for happiness and companionship. The fourth story tells of a hunter with great powers who falls in love with the chief’s daughter. The fifth story is about Sagana, the kingdom of the Saguenay. The sixth tells of a great intruder, Wimitigoji. The seventh story is about the arrival of the white man., Published by Leméac as part of the series: (Coll. “Ni-t’chawama/Mon ami mon frère).

: Survie en forêt; [Translated as Survival in the Bush. Copp Clark Pub. Co., 1972] How to survive and get by in the forest, this book lists the “inventive” and “adaptative” qualities of those who live in the bush (a guide book of sorts for non-Indigenous people)

: Territoires autonomes.; In this piece, the author calls for the support of all Indigenous people across Canada to regain control of their traditional lands. She calls for sovereignty and full autonomy, and that self-determination cannot happen without land restitution. She also emphasizes the problem of corruption amongst people in power in Quebec.

: Tshakapesh au Café Chez Jacques; One December morning, Tshakapesh’s sister awakes feeling disturbed. She is certain that this will be “a bad Christmas” for all Indigenous people; she’d had a nightmare. In the dream, in a small town of the Abitibi region in the early 1960s, a group of Algonquins were just outside a café called Chez Jacques; they were not allowed inside. Through the window they could see all sorts of important men and women, eating voluptuously, even former prime ministers. Cold and hungry, the people outside are laughed at, scorned and ignored by the partiers inside, who threaten to call the police if they do not leave the premises. Tshakapesh’s sister did not want to go on telling her brother about the dream; she wonders why the dreamcatcher by her bed did not work. Tshakapesh checks the dreamcatcher and sees it has been nibbled on by mice. He fixes it and brings some bannock to the mouse. His sister goes back to bed and dreams again of the café, but it has been renovated and is now open to all. It’s new name: Café de la Grande Paix., While we have indicated a primary genre, there is a need to better represent Indigenous writings and contemplate how some fall outside the traditional fiction/non-fiction binary.

: Umue tipatshimun innut ute uashat; This book offers a history of the Innu of Sept-Îles. Having worked on several mining sites, the author got a close look at the societal transformations that occurred as a consequence of the mining industry, leading him to become politically active. In the 1970s he works on the promotion of the Innu language by creating a learning methodology and a translation firm. The publication of Umue tipatshimun innut ute uashat / L’Histoire montagnaise de Sept-Îles is the first to come out of the newly created publishing company, Éditions Innu, and a first of a series on traditional knowledge.

: Un sentier de mocassins. Mikanawe obakigine kizin. A moccasin trail.; Un sentier de mocassins. Mikanawe obakigine kizin. A moccasin trail. A collection of poems about Algonquin life, including fourty-four illustrative paintings.

: Un voyage dans le temps; In this piece, the author speaks about how the Innu people (Nutshimiu-Innut) of the Sept-Iles region (Mishtashipit and Tshishe-Manipishtuk) used to journey to their traditional hunting grounds hundreds of kilometers further north after the summer ceremonies. Travelling up the Moisie River, he describes portages, trout and salmon fishing and smoking, and how moose, beaver and bear at the time were very scarce. The journey would last approximately 45 days. Once arrived they would hunt and trap sufficiently to get through the winter.

: Windigo et la création du monde; Each Indigenous nation has its own creation stories that have survived through time by being transmitted orally. Each story contains teachings about life, the environment, and community; they tell of the intimitate relationship between spiritual practices and peoples’ lives. The author visited with Elders from across Canada in order to complete this collection.

Indigenous Writing to 1992