kekwan etakwak mîkisîhk?/ What's in a Bead?

by Kelsey Borgford, Tessa Pizzale (Illustrator), Duane Linklater (Translator), Angela Shisheesh (Translator)

Overview

Tessa loves how her grandmother always smells of campfire stories. Mom says it’s because Kohkom spends her days sewing beautiful beads onto smoked hides. Inspired, Tessa asks Kohkom to teach her beading, but first she must listen and learn about the many stories held in a bead.
This dual language edition contains the story in both Ininîmowin (Cree, N-dialect) and English.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781772603750
Publisher:	Second Story Press
Publication date:	03/12/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	24
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years
Language:	Cree

About the Author

Kelsey Borgford is Nbisiing Nishnaabe, from the Marten clan and Couchie family. She resides in her traditional territory of Nipissing First Nation. Kelsey is constantly seeking to become educated, and educate, about the culture. In all she does, her own Nokomis-baa is central to her story.

Tessa Pizzale grew up in North Bay, Ontario. Her Cree relatives are from Moose Factory, Fort Albany, and Peawanuck. She is completing her BFA at Nipissing University. Tessa loves Indigenous crafts and is grateful to her late Kookum for teaching her beading and her Nikawiy for teaching her to sew.

Duane Linklater is Omaskêko Ininiwak and currently lives in North Bay, Ontario. He earned a Master of Fine Arts from Bard College and a Bachelor of Native Studies with a focus in Cree language from the University of Alberta. Linklater is lifelong learner of the Cree language and credits the many Elders, including his kohkom Agnes Hunter, for teaching and sharing the language.

Angela Shisheesh is a Cree translator at Ojibway&Cree Cultural Centre based in Timmins, Ontario

What People are Saying About This

First Nations Consultant for the Southern Ontario Library Services - Nancy Cooper

"The story is a beautiful look into the importance of beading in our communities and the ways that this art practice ties us together as families and communities."

Editorial Reviews

"If you’d like to get your kids addicted to something healthier, here’s a guide to the latest in children’s lit.... Tessa wants her Kohkom to teach her how to bead but first, Kohkom explains, she has to share stories about her Cree heritage and the way beading is connected to preserving her culture, language and identity."

Jeffrey Canton

Readers will learn that different First Nations have different beadwork techniques, and that this traditional art is still alive and well today…It’s a very sweet story about children learning from Elders and keeping families together…It is a good way for tactile learners to absorb information.”

Anishinabek News