Welcome to Litsy!

This wasn‘t like anything else I‘ve ever read. I read the audiobook and recommended for the Cree spoken in it but will borrow a copy to browse the amazing art. This book has mythology, history, art, sex (a lot),culture and mind bending perspectives. Miss Chief is a shapeshifter, non-gendered, demi-god, lover, and heroine. It‘s the story of the beginning of existence to first contact with European settlers on turtle island. ⬇️

And now, some sticky toffee apple cake with my daily short story. ANCESTOR APPROVED is a great anthology so far. It‘s full of emotional truths and I love all the little connections between the stories as these kids (& one dog) converge on the powwow.

The cake recipe is available on the Food Network‘s website. They bill it as the best ever, and they ain‘t wrong. I ate it off my hummingbird plate designed by Coast Salish artist Maynard Johnny Jr.

I read the whole thing b/c there was important & interesting information, but this author did not really have the range to write this book lol. She has a college freshman‘s analysis of concepts like race, class & nationalism, and she chooses to write from the perspective of empires and states instead of a “people‘s history”… plus the chapter naming convention barely makes sense 😒 Ambitious but ultimately pretty superficial.

A hybrid queer fictional memoir / true history of North America—from creation of the universe to Canada‘s confederation in 1867—told from a Cree Indigenous worldview. Miss Chief is a supernatural, all-gender shapeshifter with a talent for lovemaking. The story is sexy, tongue-in-cheek, and eye-opening. The physical book is beautifully designed & full of Monkman‘s gorgeous artwork. The audiobook is read by Cree-speaker Gail Maurice. Both are 👌😍

Throughout this text, Cree words are printed in red (there‘s a glossary at the back) and there are references to the many notes in the appendix.

Our muscular bodies still entwined & radiating heat, I whispered to him that otôtêmihtowin* was not limited to human beings. “Do not take more than you need,” I said, kissing him tenderly. “Respect all creatures & also the land. Tell Your people.” He nodded, assuring me that he would, but I was not convinced he had understood, so I kept spreading the word in the way I knew best.

*respectful openness & acceptance of others; friendship, diplomacy

She inquired about my heels. I explained that my shoes were not like the shoes of human beings. They contained power, and to me felt like moccasins; besides, I liked the pink on the bottom, like the paw pads of my dear older brother Wîsahkêcâhk.

Shawn and I talked about some of the many GG award finalists (including the tagged novel):

https://youtu.be/IcC2susP_VA

I love finding watermarks! I hauled this book recently and, beyond the well-written descriptions and plates which will be an excellent birding resource, I was thrilled to find this watermark for Warren‘s Olde Style. A quick search uncovers that this was a line from S.D. Warren Company, Boston. The official description, taken from an advertising digest I found online is, “a watermarked antique finish for type and line illustration.” Cool!

I‘d call this a fascinating but stressful read. It was a big library read on Libby a while ago, and I was intrigued enough to read it. It starts out with a pretty cool prehistory of North America, and half way through it quickly spirals into a distressing tirade of environmental destruction and needless cruelty as white colonists flood the scene. Indigenous perspectives are definitely missing in this book.