It is a process that “isn’t just about illustrating the story, it is about living your culture” and the books “are not just books, they say to the reader that our ancestors have been here forever, and they are still with us, and their stories are not lost…”
As described by Janine, the books are more realistic “because I had to experience it realistically; to get knowledge in these ways where you have epiphanies by living life…”" -
IBBY CANADA: Living Your Culture
The Illustrations of Janine Gibbons [Haida], of the Sk’ad’a Stories Series—Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii
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Photo by Southeast Studios
Books
JIGGING FOR HALIBUT WITH TSINII
A Haida boy learns important life lessons from his grandfather in this “love letter to Elders” (David A. Robertson).
Based on Haida artist Robert Davidson's own experiences with Tsinii (his grandfather), this tender story highlights intergenerational knowledge and authentic learning experiences.
Off the northern tip of Haida Gwaii, a boy goes fishing with Tsinii, his grandfather. As they watch the weather, jig for halibut, and row with the tides, the boy realizes there’s more to learn from Tsinii than how to catch a fish.
Written by the creators of Potlatch as Pedagogy, this book brings the Sk'ad'a Principles to life through the art of Janine Gibbons.
AWARDS
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Long-listed, First Nations Communities READ 2022
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Short-listed, Manuela Dias Book Design and Illustration Awards, Children’s Illustration 2022
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Short-listed, Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher 2022
Reviews
My father said once that we cannot forget the importance of Elders. He was worried that we don’t respect them like we used to, and wanted that to change. This book is a love letter to Elders, who are our doorway to the past, to the traditions, languages, and ways of living that give us not just identity, but life. It is at once poetic and calming, in both its words and illustrations, and gifts knowledge to us from those that have been entrusted with it. -David A. Robertson, Governor General's Award-winning author
I love this story! Beautifully illustrated. Beautifully told. -Katherena Vermette, The Girl and the Wolf
Sara and Robert Davidson share a beautiful and tenderly written story that takes readers out for a day on the ocean with Robert and Tsinii (his grandpa). We are introduced to gaffs and jigging, the movements of the tides and skies, and the importance of traditional harvesting. Janine Gibbons’s artwork poetically captures the coastal atmosphere, and the love and care between grandson and grandfather. Absolutely stunning. -Julie Flett, author/illustrator Birdsong
Among The Globe and Mail's Kids' Books Gift Guide -The Globe and Mail
Evocative and full of care, this beautiful book is an inspiring testimonial to the power of family relationships and the natural world.-The Charity Report
Among CBC Books The Best Canadian Picture Books of 2021
CBC Books
A heartwarming story that shares a piece of Davidson’s life and culture with young readers. The writing is strong...pulling readers into the story. The illustrations are gorgeous [and] full of life.
Highly Recommended. -CM Association
Among Top Recommended Reads for TD Summer Reading Club 2023 -TD Summer Reading Club
Nang Jáadaa Sg̱áana ‘Láanaa aa Isdáayaan
Nang Jáadaa Sg̱áana ‘Láanaa aa Isdáayaan (The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales) is Sealaska Heritage’s first-ever children’s book entirely in the Haida language, X̱aad Kíl. The traditional Haida story features a hunter who forgets to thank an otter for its life. When he gifts the otter to his wife it comes back to life and swims away. She jumps in after it and is captured by the SGaan, the killer whales. An adventurous rescue begins.
Audio available online https://youtu.be/tp1t_qxfxRs
Nang Jáadaa Sg̱áana ‘Láanaa aa Isdáayaan was translated into X̱aad Kíl by Skíl Jáadei Linda Schrack and Ilskyalas Delores Churchill and features illustrations by award-winning Haida artist Janine Gibbons. Published through SHI’s Baby Raven Reads series, this book is part of an Indigenous language series that features original translations of previous Baby Raven Reads titles. Audio for these titles can also be found on SHI’s YouTube channel.
Baby Raven Reads is an award-winning Sealaska Heritage education program that promotes early-literacy, language development and school readiness for Alaska Native families with children up to age 5. The pilot program in Juneau ended in 2017, and SHI received funding to offer the program for another three years and to expand it to nine other communities in Southeast Alaska.
raven makes the aleutians
Raven Makes the Aleutians is a children's book based on ancient Northwest Coast Raven stories published in 2018 through SHI's Baby Raven Reads program. In Raven Makes the Aleutians, after the flood, Raven falls from the sky far out to sea, and he can’t get back to the mainland. With the help of a friendly sea otter, Raven comes up with a plan to reach the shore. Ultimately, Raven’s ingenuity leads to the creation of Alaska’s Aleutian Chain.
The story was adapted for children from the works of the late Nora and Dick Dauenhauer, who transcribed it from Tlingit Elders Susie James' and Robert Zuboff's oral accounts. The original Raven stories are complex, humorous and sometimes filled with raucous adventures. Raven stories are not about what is viewed as proper behavior, but what is not acceptable behavior. Raven the Trickster is found in oral traditions throughout North America and elsewhere in the world and teaches people how to exist in society.
Baby Raven Reads is an award-winning Sealaska Heritage education program that promotes early-literacy, language development and school readiness for Alaska Native families with children up to age 5. The pilot program in Juneau ended in 2017, and SHI received funding to offer the program for another three years and to expand it to nine other communities in Southeast Alaska through 2020.
(Winner: American Indian Library Association Picture Book Honor award)
(Book review: Anchorage Daily News)
Awards
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American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Award
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CCBC CHOICES 2019: BEST-OF-THE-YEAR LIST. Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC), School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Reviews
Rarely does a picture book feel like I am sitting in a room with a storyteller. This one did. The illustrations are beautiful and I'm curious from the introductory note about the raven stories that are inappropriate for children. -Lauren, Good Reads
Gorgeous oil-paint looking illustrations beautifully illuminate this story, which has been adapted in simple language that even pre-school children can understand. Part of Sealaska Heritage Institute's "Baby Raven Reads" program. - Beverly, Good Reads
Baby Raven Reads book wins award with Petersburg artist’s work. Posted by Joe Viechnicki Jan 30, 2020
https://www.kfsk.org/2020/01/30/baby-raven-reads-book-wins-award-with-petersburg-artists-work/
THE WOMAN WHO MARRIED THE BEAR
The Woman Who Married the Bear: In this ancient Tlingit story, a woman who has insulted the bears while out berry picking meets a bear in human form. They fall in love and get married. Soon, the woman's brothers come looking for her and the woman learns her husband is not what he appears to be.
Text adapted by Tlingit writer Frank Henry Kaash Kataase. Illustrated by Haida artist Janine Gibbons
Frank Henry Kaash Katasse is an Alaska Native from the Tlingit clan Tsaagweidí. Frank is an actor, director, producer, improviser, educator and playwright. Frank received his Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Hawai’i: Mānoa.
THE WOMAN CARRIED AWAY BY KILLERWHALES
The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales was the first book illustrated by Janine Gibbons. In this ancient traditional Haida story, a hunter named Nanasimgit forgets to thank an otter for its life. When he gifts the otter to his wife, K̲'uljáad, the sea otter pelt comes back to life and swims away. K̲'uljáad jumps in after it and is captured by the SGaan, the killer whales and carried off. Her husband, Nanasimgit, embarks on a journey to get her back. Aided by friends he meets along the way, he follows her trail across the bottom of the sea to the Killer Whale House.
Text adapted by Cisa Spark and Ben K’uyáang Young.
Ben K’uyáang Young is a Haida Raven of the Yahgw’láanaas clan. K’uyáang is the Early Education Curriculum Development Manager for the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida.
Dancing With Our Ancestors
Sara Florence Davidson transports readers to the excitement of a potlatch in Hydaburg, Alaska.
It feels like my brother and I have always known how to sing the songs and dance the dances of our Haida ancestors. Unlike our father, we were born after the laws that banned our cultural practices were changed. The potlatch ban did not exist during our time, so we grew up dancing and singing side by side.
Written by the creators of Potlatch as Pedagogy, this book brings the Sk'ad'a Principles to life through the art of Janine Gibbons.
Awards
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Short-listed, Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher 2023
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Long-listed, PMC Indigenous Literature Award 2023
Reviews
The colorful, painted illustrations set a festive tone while the text also teaches that there were once laws banning these celebrations. The celebratory book will find a ready home in public library and elementary school library shelves, and anywhere looking to expand picture book knowledge of Indigenous cultures. -Carrie Voliva, School Library Journal
Among Quill & Quire's Fall Preview: Books for Young People – Picture Books -Quill & Quire, Quill & Quire
Each of the four books documents a different day in the authors’ lives, including learning to carve argillite and fishing on the Yakoun River. Along the way, they immerse the reader in an Indigenous approach to teaching and learning. The collection really honours the people in the stories. -Kaitlyn Bailey, Vancouver Sun
A Globe and Mail top 10 kids' book of 2022 -The Globe and Mail
Among American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) Best Books 2022. American Indians in Children's Literature.
The book is exciting, powerful, and educational for readers.
-Alex Hebert, Anishinabek News
Among IBBY Canada's 2020-2022 From Sea to Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Book Collection -IBBY Canada
Among CCBC's Best Books for Kids & Teens 2023 -CCBC
Returning To the
Yakoun River
EXPERIENCE A HAIDA FISH CAMP THROUGH THE DELIGHTED EYES OF CHILDREN AS THEY LEARN FROM THE LAND AND FROM THEIR ELDERS
Based on author Sara Florence Davidson’s childhood memories, this illustrated story captures the joy and adventure of a Haida fish camp.
Every summer, a Haida girl and her family travel up the Yakoun River on Haida Gwaii, following the salmon. While their father fishes, the girl and her brother spend their time on the land playing and learning from Tsinii (Grandfather).
Awards
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Long-listed, PMC Indigenous Literature Award 2023
Reviews
Among The Beat's A Small Press Spotlight - Comicsbeat
When author Sara Florence Davidson was growing up, much of her love for storytelling was inspired by her father, renowned carver and artist Robert Davidson. Enter Returning to the Yakoun River and Dancing With Our Ancestors, written by Sara and Robert. -Windspeaker
Among CBC Books 40 Canadian picture books to watch for in fall 2022 - CBC Books
Each of the four books documents a different day in the authors’ lives, including learning to carve argillite and fishing on the Yakoun River. Along the way, they immerse the reader in an Indigenous approach to teaching and learning. The collection really honours the people in the stories. -Kaitlyn Bailey, Vancouver Sun
Among American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) Best Books 2022 -American Indians in Children's Literature
Among IBBY Canada's 2020-2022 From Sea to Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Book Collection -IBBY Canada
Among CCBC's Best Books for Kids & Teens 2023 -CCBC
Learning To Carve Argillite
While practicing to become a skillful carver, a Haida boy learns important life lessons from his Elders.
Based on Haida artist Robert Davidson's own childhood experiences, this beautiful story highlights learning through observation, as well as the role of Elders in sharing knowledge and mentorship.
Learning to carve is a lifelong journey. With the help of his father and grandfather, a boy on Haida Gwaii practises to become a skillful carver. As he carefully works on a new piece, he remembers a trip to Slatechuck Mountain to gather the argillite, as well as his father’s words about the importance of looking back to help us find our way.
Written by the creators of Potlatch as Pedagogy, this book brings the Sk'ad'a Principles to life through the art of Janine Gibbons.
AWARDS
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Long-listed, First Nations Communities READ 2022
REVIEWS
A quiet, beautiful meditation on how traditions are kept alive by passing them down from one generation to the next, by remembering the ways things were so we can more clearly see the way things can be. Shaped by youth, under the watchful guidance of Elders, like etchings in argillite. -David A. Robertson
Davidson and Davidson's story is a snapshot of a memory that cohesively and effectively expresses a childhood embedded in love, in family, in tradition, and in art. The artwork is beautiful and thoughtful, often requiring second and third looks to pick up hidden details as the colours and flow of the images draw the eye over the pages. Highly recommended. -CM Association
The concept of intergenerational learning is woven into the books in both obvious and subtle ways.-Quill & Quire
Among OLA's First Nations Communities READ Longlist, Children's Category
Ontario Library Association (OLA)
Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC)
Among CCBC's Best Books for Kids and Teens
IBBY Canada
Among IBBY Canada's 2020-2022 From Sea to Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Book Collection
Teachers Guide for The Sḵ'ad'a Stories
From the creators of Potlatch as Pedagogy: Learning Through Ceremony, the Sḵ'ad'a Stories series brings intergenerational learning to life. Haida children learn important life lessons from their Elders through real-life situations, cultural traditions, and experiences out on the land.
Written by Sḵ'ad'a Stories author Sara Florence Davidson and educator Katya Adamov Ferguson, the Teacher Guide for the Sḵ'ad'a Stories helps teachers engage their students through the lens of intergenerational learning and authentic experiences.
This guide
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outlines the Sḵ'ad'a principles found in the stories
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shows how to use the Sḵ'ad'a principles in your classroom
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provides the behind-the-scenes thinking of the authors and illustrator
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explains the significance of this series as part of Haida cultural resurgence and preservation
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provides critical perspectives on the impact of colonialism on Haida knowledges
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includes resources and inspirations for educators
This teacher guide is appropriate for all grade levels.
HlGaaGilda Xaayda Sḵ'aadGa 1-12
S.H.I.P. has been recording the Skidegate Haida Language and has produced over 120 instructional CD-ROMs for use in home, in the S.H.I.P. Program, in schools in the the community, and Haida'a living off island. Within S.H.I.P. there are 10 very committed and dedicated Elders who are fluent speakers of the Skidegate Haida Language. The average age of our elders is 80 years of age. The Elders attend S.H.I.P. five days a week, ten months of the year. They represent approximately 50% of today's fluent Skidegate Haida speakers. Their efforts to revitalize the Skidegate Haida Language are genuine, and from the heart. Respect for their Ancestors, the language, and its many dialects have been of utmost importance. To learn more click here.
