Charlie Wenjack was 12-years-old when he ran away from Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Kenora. He had been gone a week when his body was discovered beside the railroad tracks near Redditt on Oct. 23, 1966. His parents weren’t told that he was missing.
Author Archives: ponnuki
Lucy & Lola
Lucy and Lola are 11-year-old twins who are heading to Gabriola Island, BC, to spend the summer with their Kookum (grandmother) while their mother studies for the bar exam. During their time with Kookum, the girls begin to learn about her experiences in being sent — and having to send their mother — to Residential …
I Lost My Talk
This poem is about Rita Joe losing her native language; it refers to the experiences she had in school while she was in foster care. Rita Joe was orphaned and put into foster care at a young age.
When I Was Eight
A strong-willed young Inuit girl receives permission from her father to travel to a residential religious school run by non-Inuit outsiders, where she struggles to adapt to the new way of living.
Orange Shirt Day
This book (released in Sept 2020) explores the historical impact on Indigenous people in order to create champions who will walk a path of reconciliation through Orange Shirt Day, promoting the message that Every Child Matters.
I’m Finding My Talk
This book reflects on the destructive effects on colonialism, rediscovering community and finding culture.
The Orange Shirt Story & Phyllis’s Orange Shirt
When Phyllis Webstad turned six, she went to the residential school for the first time. On her first day at school, she wore a shiny orange shirt that her Granny had bought for her, but when she got to the school, it was taken away from her and never returned. This is the true story …
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When We Play Our Drums, They Sing
This the story of 12-year-old Dene Cho, who is angry that his people are losing their language, traditions, and ways of being. Elder Snowbird shares their history including the impact Residential schools. It is through this conversation that Dene Cho begins to find himself, and begins to realize that understanding the past can ultimately change …
When We Were Alone
When a young girl helps tend to her grandmother’s garden, she begins to notice things about her grandmother that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long braided hair and wear beautifully coloured clothing? Why does she speak another language and spend so much time with her family? As she asks her grandmother about …
Manitoba Teachers’ Society
Orange shirt day lessons and resources from the Manitoba Teachers’ Society.