Forever Our Home/ kâkikê kîkinaw

Publisher's Description (Orca Book Publishers): A lullaby of reconciliation and reclamation, celebrating the ancestral relationship between Indigenous children and the land that is forever their home. Under glowing morning sun and silvery winter moon, from speckled frogs croaking in spring to summer fields painted with fireweed, this meditative lullaby introduces little ones to the plants and animals of the Prairies and the Plains. Written in both Plains Cree and English and featuring stunning artwork by celebrated artist Carla Joseph, Forever Our Home / kâkikê kîkinaw is a beautiful and gentle song about our spiritual connection to the land.

Author Biography (Orca Book Publishers): Tonya Simpson is of Scottish and Cree ancestry. She is a member of Pasqua First Nation and was born and raised in central Alberta. Tonya completed the MA program in anthropology at the University of Alberta and now works as a research assistant while raising her children at Pigeon Lake in Westerose, Alberta. Forever Our Home is her first picture book and was originally written as a lullaby for her son. 

JEAN OKIMĀSIS - This gentle picture-book lullaby, in both Plains Cree and English, is a celebration of the plants and animals of the Prairies and the Plains and a meditation on the sacred, ancestral connections between Indigenous children and their Traditional Territories. 

Carla Joseph is a Cree artist originally from Prince George, British Columbia. In 2016 Carla was the Artist in Residence for the Prince George Community Arts Council, and she has done design work for several organizations, including the Aboriginal Head Start Association of British Columbia, Northern Health and the First Nations Health Authority. Carla loves the way she makes people feel with her art. It inspires her to continue with her gift, and she loves to challenge herself by taking on many different types of projects, many of which can be seen around her community. She is also the illustrator of Be a Good Ancestor. Carla lives in Chilliwack, British Columbia. 
 

Resource type: Picturebook

Age recommendation: Pre-K, kindergarten

Keywords: Lullaby, Plains Cree, reconciliation, reclamation, ancestral relationship, children, land, environment, place, winter, summer, sun, moon, frogs, fireweed, plants, animals, the Prairies, the Plains

Year of publication: 2023

Publisher information: Orca Book Publishers