The Gift of the Little People - (The Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Ithiniwak) by William Dumas (Hardcover)

About the Book

Helpless to stop a deadly illness, Rocky Cree Elder Kākakiw struggles to help the sick as more and more people pass into the spirit world. To save his people, Kākakiw must overcome doubt to trust in traditional teachings and the gift of the Little People.

This is a companion story to The Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak series.

Book Synopsis

I don't recall seeing books when I was a little boy. But the old people, they grew up listening to stories. And so, every night, when the old people were done their evening prayers, they would sit and they would tell us stories too.

At the time of the spring thaw, the Rocky Cree fill their canoes with furs, eager to trade with the new visitors in mistiwāsahak (Hudson Bay). But not all of the new visitors are welcome.

When the canoes return home to the shores of the misinipī river, the Rocky Cree begin to collapse one by one, drenched in sweat and slowly slipping into delirium. Kākakiw struggles to help the sick as more and more people pass into the spirit world. Exhausted physically, emotionally, and spiritually, he seeks guidance through prayer.

Hope finally comes with a visitor in the night: one of the Little People, small beings who are just like us. If Kākakiw can journey to their home, he will be given the medicine his people need. All he has to do is paddle through a cliff of solid bedrock to get there.

To save his people from certain death, Kākakiw must overcome doubt to follow the traditional teachings of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak and trust in the gift of the Little People.

In this illustrated short story for all ages, celebrated Rocky Cree storyteller William Dumas shares a teaching about hope in the face of adversity. This book is a companion story to The Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak series.

Review Quotes

A story that will engage readers of all backgrounds and cultures. Highly Recommended

-- "CM Association"

The Gift of the Little People shares aspects of the language, culture, territory, history, and knowledge of the Rocky Cree people at the beginning of the fur trade in the 1600s. This story fits into many areas of the school curriculum and lends itself to practising the following reading comprehension strategies: questioning, inferring, predicting, visualizing, and making connections.

-- "Canadian Teacher Magazine"

Among OLA Best Bets Top Ten, Junior Fiction-- "Ontario Library Association"

Among USBBY 2023 Outstanding International Books List-- "USBBY"

Among The Globe and Mail's Kid's Gift Guide (2022)

-- "The Globe and Mail"

Dumas clearly writes from his heart, with a generosity of words to convey this story to young readers. Rhian Brynjolson's illustrations are remarkable, carrying the story from page to page.

-- "Storytime With Stephanie"

Using his father's voice as inspiration, Dumas, with over 25 years as an educator and storyteller, shares a story that is both timely and timeless in its significance.

-- "Active History"

A Thompson, Manitoba author has transformed a Rocky Cree story he remembers his father telling him as a child into a picture book with lessons that remain relevant today.

-- "Glacier - Thompson Citizen"

Among CBC Books Canadian Middle-Grade Books to Watch for in Spring 2022 list

-- "CBC Books"

A tale rich with warmth and wonder that not only documents traditions but carries them on.

--David A. Robertson, author The Barren Grounds