Series of Indigenous youth books launched at online event

By Sam Laskaris

TREATY 6 TERRITORY— A collection of books for young readers detail the learnings of an 11-year-old Nakota boy named Paul Wahasaypa.

But the eight-book series of the youngster, who is also known as Siha Tooskin, was inspired by a number of personal stories from the wife-and-husband writing team of Charlene and Wilson Bearhead, who live on Treaty 6 territory, just west of Edmonton in Alberta.

A virtual event was held on Oct. 21 to launch the series of books titled Siha Tooskin Knows.

Sandra Samatte, a member of Skownan First Nation in Manitoba, who has published several of her own children’s books promoting First Nations and cultures, joined the Bearheads in conversation for the virtual launch.

Wilson Bearhead, a Nakota Elder and Wabamum First Nation member, said he can’t choose just one book in the series that he prefers over the others.

“As Indigenous people, every story has a message,” said Bearhead, who recently won the Canadian Teachers’ Federation Indigenous Elder Award. “Every story has an experience. Every story begins with a timeline. So, all the stories have messages, different teachings for different times in your life.”

The books in the Siha Tooskin Knows series are titled The Gifts of His People, The Sacred Eagle Feather, The Catcher of Dreams, The Love of the Dance, The Best Medicine, The Offering of Tobacco, The Strength of His Hair, and The Nature of Life.

Throughout the series, young Paul shares his teachings not only with his friends but his teacher as well.

Wilson Bearhead said Indigenous youth often learn early on their lives.

“It’s usually the early years where a lot of teaching are done by Elders – grandmothers and grandfathers,” he said. “The reason why they want to do that is they want to give you a really solid spiritual foundation of who you are and you become a visitor in this world.”

Many of those teachings are detailed in the book series.

“They all have a different message,” Bearhead said. “If you have that gift of wanting to learn, that opportunity is there.”

Charlene Bearhead echoed her husband’s sentiment of it being difficult to select a favourite book in the series.

“Much like Wilson, I don’t know if I could choose the one that’s my favourite,” she said. “I guess it sort of depends on the time but if I had to think of the ones I’m most connected to, The Strength of His Hair is one I really love because it comes from a story that is from my own son, Storm, when he was in Kindergarten… He was the only child in class with long braids. He knew why his hair was long but the other kids would say, ‘Storm, you’re in the wrong lineup, you’re supposed to be in the girls’ line’. And then he would have to explain.”

Charlene Bearhead added she enjoys The Catcher of Dreams, as it includes the arrival of a baby named Laura into a family.

That child is modelled after the Bearheads’ daughter Seneca and the excitement of when she was born and added to the family.

All of the books in the series are illustrated by Chloe Bluebird Mustooch, a Nakota woman who grew up with the Bearheads’ children.

“She’s an incredible young woman who is an old soul in a young body,” Charlene Bearhead said of Mustooch. “She’s just amazing. She has a way of just being able to capture the feeling of what’s happening from all levels, from what’s coming from the past and what’s coming from the Spirit World and bringing all those pieces together for Paul.”

All books in the series are available through the websites www.goodminds.com and www.highwaterpress.com.