Ours to Tell: Reclaiming Indigenous Stories

Ages 11 to 14, Grades 7 to 10

A wide-ranging anthology that shines a light on untold Indigenous stories as chronicled by Indigenous creators, compiled by the acclaimed team behind Turtle Island and Sky Wolf’s Call.For too long, stories and artistic expressions from Indigenous people have been written and recorded by others, not by the individuals who have experienced the events.In Ours to Tell, sixteen Indigenous creators relate traditions, accounts of historical events, and their own lived experiences. Novelists, poets, graphic artists, historians, craftspeople, and mapmakers chronicle stories on the struggles and triumphs lived by Indigenous people, and the impact these stories have had on their culture and history. Some of the profiles included are:Indigenous poet E. Pauline Johnsonacclaimed novelist Tommy Orangebrave warrior Standing Bearpoet and activist Rita JoeWith each profile accompanied by rich visuals, from archival photos to contemporary art, Ours to Tell brilliantly spotlights Indigenous life, past and present, through an Indigenous lens. Because each profile gives an historical and cultural context, what emerges is a history of Indigenous people.

About the Author

ELDON YELLOWHORN (Piikani Nation) is an archaeologist and professor of Indigenous Studies at Simon Fraser University. His research responds to the Calls to Action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to search for children who died at residential schools. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.KATHY LOWINGER is an award-winning author whose books include Give Me Wings! How a Choir of Former Slaves Took on the World (2015), Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People (2017), and What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal (2019).