Amun: A Gathering of Indigenous Stories

Publisher's description: In the Innu language, amun means “gathering.” Under the direction of Innu writer and journalist Michel Jean, this collection brings together Indigenous authors from different backgrounds, First Nations, and generations. Their works of fiction sometimes reflect history and traditions, other times the reality of First Nations in Canada. Offering the various perspectives of well-known creators, this book presents the theatre of a gathering and the speaking out of people who are too rarely heard. "Young or old, men or women, Innu, Huron-Wendat or Métis, the ten authors of Amun have one thin in common... they write to a certain extent with their blood: their stories resonate with personal dramas and a memory abused by centuries of oppression... "Not surprisingly, the short stories in Amun lead one after the other to a rather sobering observation about the relationships between men and women. This reality ends up highlighting the strength of women-- and, in fact, women have written seven of the original short stories in this collection... [which represents] a means of expression as rare as it is necessary." --Christian Desmeules, Le Devoir

Creator's Biography (Exile Editions): Michel Jean is Innu and a member of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation. He is a news anchor and investigative reporter (notably at Radio-Canada, RDI and TVA), a fiction writer, and the author of nine books. Amun includes works from authors Natasha Kanapé Fontaine (Innu), Melissa Mollen Dupis (Innu), Louis-Karl (native of the Huron-Wendat Nation), Virginia Pésémapéo Bordeleau (Cree and Métis), Naomi Fontaine (Innu), Alyssa Jérôme (Métis), Jean Sioui (native of the Huron-Wendat Nation), Maya Cousineau-Mollen (Innu), and Joséphine Bacon (contributer to the Innu community). Kathryn Gabinet-Kroo has translated four novels by Quebec authors published by Exile Editions, including her translation of Marc Séguin’s Hollywood, one of five finalists for the Governor General’s Award for French literature in 2013. She is an active member of the Quebec Writers’ Federation, and the Literary Translators’ Association of Canada. 
 

Resource type: Book (Non-fiction)

Age recommendation: Grades 7-9, 10-12, Post secondary

Keywords: Rules, hunting, hunt, Innu, Innut, Innuat, Ilnuatsh, Inuit, Mowhawk, Wendat, Wyandot, Huron-Wendat, Pekuakamiulnuatsh, Mashteuiatsh, rhythm, nature's rhythm, seasons, summer, colonization, winter, food, gathering, community, home, tracking, track, spring, summer, migrating, migration, migrate, Amun, nomads, Nitassinan, Cree, Eeyou Istchee, Abenaki, Wobanaki, Wabanaki, Ndakinna, Nionwentsïo, reserve, reservation, rez, Inuk, stereoypes, ideal Native, ideal Indigenous, love, drugs, survival, survive, Montreal, generations, generation, space, names, fire, tundra, childhood

Year of publication: 2020

Publisher information: Exile Editions