Children's Fiction Native Canadian
Sweetgrass
- Publisher
- Nimbus Publishing
- Initial publish date
- May 2022
- Category
- Native Canadian, Multigenerational, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781771089333
- Publish Date
- May 2022
- List Price
- $10.95 USD
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781771089715
- Publish Date
- Jun 2022
- List Price
- $8.99
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 4 to 7
- Grade: p to 2
Description
A vibrant story of traditional indigenous knowledge and the many uses of sweetgrass.
It's early July, and for Matthew and his Auntie that means one thing: time to go sweetgrass picking. This year, Matthew's younger cousin Warren is coming along, and it will be his first time visiting the shoreline where the sweetgrass grows.
With Auntie's traditional Mi'kmaw knowledge and Matthew's gentle guidance, Warren learns about the many uses for sweetgrass—as traditional medicine, a sacred offering, a smudging ingredient—and the importance of not picking more than he needs. Once the trio is back at Auntie's house, she shows the boys how to clean and braid the grass.
From the duo behind the bestsellers The Gathering and The Sharing Circle, this heartfelt story about the gifts we receive from Mother Earth and how to gather them respectfully offers thoughtful insight into a treasured Mi'kmaw tradition.
Sweetgrass grows in wet meadows, low prairies, and the edges of sloughs and marshes . It grows from Labrador to Alaska, south to New Jersey, Indiana, Iowa, New Mexico, and Arizona. Widely used by North American indigenous peoples from many different Nations, it is also considered one of the "four sacred medicines" by many Plains Indians.
About the authors
Theresa Meuse was raised in L'sitkuk (Bear River) Mi'kmaw community. She left in 1986 to attend Dalhousie University as a mature student. Since graduating, she has been employed with several Mi'kmaq organizations including the Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq, The Atlantic Policy Congress, and the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre. Along with being privileged to serve a two-year term as Chief in her community, Theresa also spent many years working as an Indigenous Educator & Advisor, and continues to be a Knowledge Sharer. She presently operates an online craft business called Mi'kma'ki Craft Supplies, and is the author of four published children's books. She is a wife, mother of three, and grandmother of four.
Arthur Stevens is a Mi'kmaw community member from Millbrook First Nation in Nova Scotia. Throughout his professional and personal life, Arthur has worked with and for Indigenous peoples and organizations across Atlantic Canada. As a published artist, illustrator, and graphic designer, Arthur is an award-winning Indigenous professional who takes pride in sharing his creative works, and is always looking for artistic opportunities that engage and promote connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
Other titles by
The Friendship Centre
Foin d'odeur
[Sweetgrass] french edition
The Mi'kmaq Anthology, Volumn Two
In Celebration of the Life of Rita Joe
The Gathering
L'Nu'k: The People
Mi'kmaw History, Culture and Heritage
The Sharing Circle
The Mi'kmaq Anthology Volume 2
In Celebration of the Life of Rita Joe
The Sharing Circle
Stories about First Nations Culture
