#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women

by Lisa Charleyboy (Editor), Mary Beth Leatherdale (Editor)

Overview

Whether looking back to a troubled past or welcoming a hopeful future, the powerful voices of Indigenous women across North America resound in this book. In the same style as the best-selling Dreaming in Indian, #NotYourPrincess presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate women making themselves heard and demanding change. Sometimes angry, often reflective, but always strong, the women in this book will give teen readers insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554519576
Publisher:	Annick Press, Limited
Publication date:	09/12/2017
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	118,086
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	910L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Lisa Charleyboy (Tsilhqot'in) is Editor-In-Chief of Urban Native Magazine, which focuses on pop culture with an Indigenous twist. She is also the host of CBC Radio’s New Fire. She lives in Vancouver.

Mary Beth Leatherdale writes, edits, and consults on books, magazines, and digital resources for children and youth.

Table of Contents

OPENING POEM

shawl of memory’s embrace

by Clear Wind Blows Over The Moon (Cree, Innu-Montagnais, Dene, Metis)

Section 1 – The Ties That Bind Us

POEM

Tear

by Linda Hogan (Chickasaw)

SHORT ESSAY

Blankets of Shame

by Maria Campbell (Metis)

POEM

two braids

Rosanna Deerchild (Cree)

ART

Apsáalooke Feminist series

By Wendy Red Star (Crow)

SHORT ESSAY

Native American Women — The Original Feminists

By Nahanni Fontaine (Anishinaabe)

ART

The Side Dancer’s Gift

Marika Echachis Swan (Tla-oqui-aht Nation)

SPOKEN WORD

Leaks

by Leanne Simpson (Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg)

VISUAL SCRAPBOOK

My Grandmother Sophia

By Saige Mukash (Cree)

Section 2 – It Could Have Been Me

PROSE POEM

Falling

By Natanya Ann Pulley (Navajo)

SPOKEN WORD

When Angels Speak of Love

Tanaya Winder (Southern Ute, Duckwater Shoshone, Pyramid Lake Palute

ART

Nitewake:non “the place where I come from”

Melissa General (Mohawk/Oneida)

POEM

She is riding

Joanne Arnott (Metis)

ART

On the Red Road

By Dana Claxton (Hunkpapa Lakota)

SPOKEN WORD

The Things We Taught Our Daughters

By Helen Knott (Dana Zaa /Cree)

MEMOIR

Freedom in the Fog

By Zondra Roy (Cree/Dene/Metis)

VISUAL SCRAPBOOK

It Could Have Been Me

By Patricia Stonefish (Lakota)

Section 3: I Am Not Your Princess

POEM

A Conversation with a Massage Therapist

By Francine Cunningham (Cree/ Metis)

PHOTO SERIES

The Invisible Indians

By Shelby Lisk (Mohawk from Tyendinaga)

SPOKEN WORD

Grey Owl

By Winona Linn (Meskwaki)

ESSAY

What’s there to take back?

Tiffany Midge (Standing Rock Sioux)

POEM

Stereotype This

Melanie Fey (Dine)

ART

Real NDNZ

Pamela J. Peters (Navajo)

VISUAL SCRAPBOOK

I Am the Only American Indian

By Cecelia Rose LaPointe (Ojibway/Metis)

Section 4: Pathfinders

POEM

When I have a Daughter

by Ntawnis Piapot (Piapot Cree Nation)

PROFILE

Defender of Mother Earth

Teen Activist Anna Lee Rain Yellowhammer

TWITTER COLLAGE

Various

GRAPHIC NOVEL

Fala

Elizabeth LaPensee (Metis)

INTERVIEW

Dr. Janet Smylie (Metis)

PHOTO ESSAY

Living Their Dreams — Native American Athletes

SPOKEN WORD

Etuaptmumk

Rebecca Thomas (Miq’mak)

VISUAL SCRAPBOOK

Dear Past Self

Isabelle Rilispipe

CLOSING POEM

Little Sister

Tasha Spillet
EXCERPT
Include description of excerpt e.g. ‘Chapter 1’, Introduction, Foreword, etc.

Editorial Reviews

08/21/2017
The team behind Dreaming in Indian again celebrates a range of indigenous perspectives through a vivid mixture of poetry, essays, and artwork. The book’s four sections correlate to themes of connection, abuse, stereotype, and power. Lianne Charlie contributes a grid of collages and photographs that reflect her creative output and cultural influences while mimicking the platform (Instagram) where she shares them. Sexual abuse and drug addiction surface in several entries (“girls like me/ break every day/ in this great city,” reads Gwen Benaway’s haunting “Honor Song”), and Tiffany Midge’s blistering “What’s There to Take Back?” scoffs at a publication’s call for submissions on the subject of reclaiming Peter Pan’s Tiger Lily (“Would anyone want to reclaim Frito Bandito? Aunt Jemima?... They are made from the same poison”). A closing section highlights stories and images of hope—athletes who have found success, an interview with a Cree doctor who overcame a traumatic youth, and a spread dedicated to teenage Standing Rock activist Anna Lee Rain Yellowhammer. A moving and powerful collection that draws strength from the variety of voices and lived experiences it represents. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Dreaming In Indian: Recipient of 15+ awards and nominations, including a Kirkus Prize nomination and a Youth Literature Award, American Indian Library Association “[H]onest portrayals of strong, hopeful, and courageous indigenous youth living non-stereotypical lives. Not to be missed.” —School Library Journal, *starred review “Original and accessible, both an exuberant work of art and a uniquely valuable resource.” —Kirkus Reviews, *starred review

From the Publisher

★ 09/01/2017
Gr 10 Up—According to the foreword, Charleyboy's intent for this anthology is to provide a "space to not only write a love letter to all young Indigenous women trying to find their way, but also to help dispel those stereotypes so we can collectively move forward to a brighter future for all." Charleyboy and Leatherdale have selected art, poetry, and prose created by Indigenous teenage girls and women that touch on a plethora of topics, from Standing Rock to ReMatriate, a collective of Indigenous women dedicated to showing the multiplicity of Indigenous identity through social media. Each entry is titled and accompanied by the author's name and their tribal ancestry or affiliation. In addition to the text, art pieces such as Lianne Marie Leda Charlie's Tagé Cho (Big River) and Pamela J. Peters's Real NDNZ Re-Take Hollywood, which recasts iconic movie stars as Indigenous actors/actresses, deepen the conversation and provide alternative ways of looking at identity, history, and inherited trauma. Some entries are in dialogue with readers, while others offer deeply personal insights—and all emphasize the damage that ignoring or changing the rich histories of Indigenous people does, especially in regards to women. This portrait of girlhood is a necessary addition in line with #ownvoices and We Need Diverse Books movements. And with a hashtag as a title, it should garner much-needed attention on social media, in libraries, and on bookshelves. VERDICT A stunning anthology of creative writing and art—a love letter, indeed. All YA collections will want this.—Alicia Abdul, Albany High School, NY

School Library Journal

★ 2017-07-02
A unique cultural anthology of stories gathered from Indigenous women representing nations in the U.S. and Canada. The voices in these stories defy and deconstruct the common stereotype of the Native American woman as docile tribal "princess." The hashtag in the title is an intentional signal to readers that Native American women are a significant presence in the digital age. This book acts as a platform that allows Indigenous women to express their stories through poetry, vibrant and colorful art, personal photos, short stories, and traditional song. This tapestry of voices addresses reclaiming Indigenous rights, overcoming abandonment and abuse, navigating mixed identity, and cultural appropriation; there is also an homage to 13-year-old Anna Lee Rain Yellowhammer, a young Water Protector who gathered more than a quarter-million signatures to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Each page offers eye-catching images that represent the wide diversity among Indigenous women. A poignant interview with Dr. Janet Smylie (Cree/Métis) reveals both her personal struggle with depression as a teenager and the challenges she faced while attempting to finish medical school. Co-edited by author Charleyboy (Tsilhqot'in) and Leatherdale, this collection was created as a love letter to young Indigenous women. The vital message that it offers is that Indigenous women continue to shatter stereotypes through their personal successes and creative expression. Both testament to the complexity of Indigenous women's identities and ferocious statement that these women fully inhabit the modern world. (Anthology. 12-adult)

Kirkus Reviews