Anishinaabe author celebrates her debut book that is exploding with culture.
(Winnipeg, MB.)
Pictured: Martha Troian who is a proud member of Obishikokaang (Lac Seul First Nation). Troian is a multi-award winning investigative journalist and writer. Also pictured: Kapanaise Thiebaut, community reporter at NCI FM.
Martha Troian shares how her son’s powwow dancing gave her inspiration for her debut children’s picture book “It’s Powwow Time”. She is a proud member of the Obishikokaang (Lac Seul First Nation, ON.).
Troian’s experience as a mother, gave her insight for the picture book by witnessing her son’s journey of learning the ways of becoming a powwow dancer, gaining confidence, and connecting with his culture. The theme of this book is celebrating Anishinaabeg culture, reconnecting, and being proud of who you are.
“’Its’s Powwow Time’ is about a young boy named Bineshii [main character], who is learning how to powwow dance, so he wakes up morning with his family, the sun is shining, they’re traveling to a powwow.
There’s a lot of onomatopoeia’s, which is like using descriptive words to describe sound, there’s a lot of repetition like thump thump thump [beating drum].”
With each page, you will see Bineshii move closer into the powwow arbour, slowly moving more with each drum beat, his confidence increasing with each step. Finally he moves fully inside of the circle and dances his heart. In true powwow fashion, it ends with explosion of vibrant and colourful fireworks plastered all over the pages.
“It’s Pow Wow Time” has odes of Indigenous culture, the pages spewing with vibrant colours, the backgrounds are illustrated by Indigenous artist: Hawlii Pichette. With nostalgic and familiar items like: braids of sweetgrass, Kookums’ fixing up morning breakfast, and of course, powwow grounds.
“We have to remember we came from a time in history where powwow dancing was prohibited by the Canadian Government, in the Indian Act it was prohibited and Indian Agents were also forced to stop Indigenous people from dancing because they thought it considered excessive indulgence.
Now we have so many people, so many families who are practicing many cultural traditions, and speaking their languages. I think it’s such a beautiful thing, and to be able to write a book and to contribute to the existing literature that’s out there, that writes about the joys of our culture, I’m so grateful for that”
Troian was offered a 2-book deal, she celebrated this book by doing a book launch at McNally Robinson Book Store on September 10th. She shares that copies can be purchased at local Manitoba stores, and soon can be purchased all around the world!
Written by: Kapanaise Thiebaut. NCI Community Reporter.
