A fascinating story, combining authentic Inuit legend and culture, of a misfit boy who becomes a hero in his village in Greenland.
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Touching Spirit Bear
Within Cole Matthews lie anger, rage and hate. Cole has been stealing and fighting for years. This time he caught Alex Driscal in the, parking lot and smashed his head against the sidewalk. Now, Alex may have permanent brain damage’and Cole is in the Biggest trouble of his life.
Cole is offered Circle Justice: a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal offender, the victim and the, community. With prison as his only alternative, Cole plays along. He says he wants to repent, but in his heart Cole blames his alcoholic mom his, abusive dad, wimpy Alex — everyone but himself — for his situation.
Cole receives a one-year banishment to a remote Alaskan island. There, he is mauled by Mysterious white bear of Native American legend. Hideously injured, Cole waits for his death His thoughts shift from from Anger to humility. To survive, he must stop blaming others and take responsibility for his life. Rescuers arrive to save Cole’s but it is the attack of the Spirit Bear that may save his soul.
Ben Mikaelsen paints a vivid picture of a juvenile offender, examining the roots without absolving solving him of responsibility for his actions, and questioning a society in which angry people make victims of their peers and communities. Touching Spirit Bear is a poignant testimonial to the power of a pain that can destroy, or lead to healing
Winter Camp
Two orphaned siblings struggle to survive a harsh Alaskan winter looking after a badly wounded miner, while their guardian, an old Athabascan Indian who has taught them the ways of their ancestors, searches for help.
Where Did You Get Your Moccasins?
Children in an urban school are curious about a classmate’s moccasins.
My Name Is Seepeetza
Her name was Seepeetza when she was at home with her family. But now that she’s living at the Indian residential school her name is Martha Stone, and everything else about her life has changed as well. Told in the honest voice of a sixth grader, this is the story of a young Native girl forced to live in a world governed by strict nuns, arbitrary rules, and a policy against talking in her own dialect, even with her family. Seepeetza finds bright spots, but most of all she looks forward to summers and holidays at home. This autobiographical novel is written in the form of Seepeetza’s diary.
Wolf Run: A Caribou Eskimo Tale
When the caribou herds fail to return in the spring, famine becomes so acute that a young Eskimo boy sets out alone in search of food.
Anna’s Athabaskan Summer
The everyday lives of the Athabaskan Indians come to life in the story of Anna’s family and their annual journey to a salmon fish camp as they remember the ways of their people by listening to Grandmother’s wise words.
Mayuk the Grizzly Bear: A Legend of the Sechelt People
This is a story of how one great-grandfather decides to give his great-grandson his special name in the Sechelt language. These traditional teaching legends come straight from the oral traditions of the Sechelt Nation.
James Houston’s Treasury Of Inuit Legends (Odyssey Classics (Odyssey Classics))
James Houston made his first journey to the Canadian Arctic in 1948 in search of a new land to paint. There he found a warm, friendly people living in a vast, cold, hauntingly beautiful world. He lived with the Inuit and Indian people in the Arctic and grew to understand them and their way of life. He also helped introduce Inuit culture to the world with his remarkable art and stories. Here are four of his exciting Inuit folktales–Akavak, Tiktaliktak, The White Archer, and Wolf Run–collected for the first time in one beautiful volume. Houston’s striking illustrations for each story bring the Arctic and its people to life. This inspired collection is sure to fascinate readers of all ages. Includes an introduction by Theodore Taylor.
The Earliest Americans
Presents the scientific evidence for the origins of the earliest people in the Americas and describes the accomplishments of their culturally diverse descendants prior to the arrival of Europeans in 1492.