• Reading age: 9 to 12

Returning the Spirits is about a First Nations teenager who lands his first job as a night watchman in a city museum. One night, perplexed by strange noises, he encounters a raven that reveals their source: the spirits of Indigenous animal artifacts longing to remember their cultural identities. The raven, a spirit guide, assists the animal artifacts in rediscovering their various Indigenous cultures from all across Turtle Island. As the teen embarks on this journey, the world opens up for the artifacts and for him. This heartwarming tale intertwines adventure, cultural heritage, and self-discovery, celebrating the profound connection between identity and roots with ancestors and with nature.

Raymond Yakeleya is an award-winning Dene television producer, director and writer. Originally from Tulita in the Northwest Territories, he now calls Edmonton, Alberta home. Raymond is author of the Dene children’s book The Tree by the Woodpile and editor of We Remember the Coming of the White Man and Indigenous Justice. He wrote an extensive foreword in Nahganne: Northern Tales of the Sasquatch. Says Raymond, “Indigenous Peoples need to have a voice in mainstream media in order to tell our stories, our way. With the passing of many of our Elders, the telling of these stories has become more important.”

Raymond Yakeleya's profile page

Esteemed Dene Author Raymond Yakeleya Has Already Made His Mark in Dene Lore, Many Times. With His 'Returning the Spirits' We Have Living Proof That ALL of Indigenous Knowledge Belongs to Our GrandChildren, the Youth of the Future, .. and Certainly Not in Museums, These Places of Dead Artifacts, .. but for Yet-Living Spirits and Those Yet-to-Be. Mahsi'. —Antoine Mountain PhD