This Place: 150 Years Retold
This Place: 150 Years Retold
…Indigenous writers have pointed out that, as Indigenous people, we all live in a post-apocalyptic world. The world as we knew it ended the moment colonialism started to creep across these lands. But we have continued to tell our stories, we have continued to adapt. Despite everything, we have survived.
…The people named in these stories are all heroes, inspired by love of their people and culture to do amazing, brave things—but so are the unnamed people who raised them, who taught them, who supported them, and who stood with them. Our communities are full of heroes.
That’s why this anthology is so beautiful and so important. It tells tales of resistance, of leadership, of wonder and pain, of pasts we must remember and futures we must keep striving towards, planting each story like a seed deep inside of us.
If you are looking to expand your YA historical and/or Indigenous books collections, you won’t want to miss the graphic novel anthology, This Place: 150 Years Retold. With a forward by Alicia Elliott, this collection includes ten illustrated stories inspired by significant real-life people, events, and experiences told from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives. From the beginning of Canadian Confederation to present day, with a final chapter imagining the far future (2350), This Place helps readers learn about important truths mostly missing from mainstream Canadian history books and narratives.
As with many anthologies, the writing in this collection varies in strength. However, This Place is beautifully designed, with thought put into cohesively organizing the diverse storylines between each stand-alone chapter. Each story is preceded by a two-page spread that includes an author note conveying the writer’s insights and inspiration and a timeline providing context to the significant historical events and developments, including legal acts and policies, associated with each story. The detailed timelines highlight the World War I conscription of Indigenous men who did not have citizenship rights in 1917; the targeting of First Nations and Métis women in 1928 for forced sterilization in Alberta; government “identity disc” necklaces once forced upon Inuit communities; confrontations over hunting and fishing rights; physical and sexual abuse in residential schools; the Sixties Scoop; The Truth and Reconciliation Commission; and the national inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, to name just some examples.
The stories in This Place are important and need to be told and learned. However, as some are particularly difficult to read, due to their devastating subject matter, educators in classroom settings will need to be mindful of possible sensitivities and trigger points for some students. For example, in the introduction to her story, “Nimkii”, author Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm writes that she was partly inspired by the story of Richard Cardinal, a boy “in care” who “…took his own life after being placed in 28 different foster homes during his 14 years…” “Nimkii” is one of the most poignant stories in This Place. While its text and illustrations touch on the outcomes of “a few specific children in care”, the author also “lovingly honours” adopted Indigenous children who have thrived.
The colourful and vibrant comic-style graphics in This Place vary stylistically between chapters but are consistently excellent. This anthology’s visual storytelling via comics is also a great choice for revealing hidden stories and bringing history alive, and it may encourage otherwise reluctant readers to explore history. For example, in David Robertson’s powerful story, “Peggy”, he pays tribute to the Indigenous hero, Francis “Peggy” Pegahmagabow who is “still recognized as the most effective sniper in North American history.” Through Robertson’s concise text, we learn that, despite his skillful and loyal service on the frontlines of World War I, after the war, Pegahmagabow was repeatedly denied farming loans earmarked to help veterans make a fresh start. Ultimately, Canadian government Indian Agents decided that Pegahmagabow, “the most decorated Indigenous soldier in Canadian history”, could not be trusted to care of horses. Natasha Donovan’s outstanding comic illustrations immediately make this story accessible. Indeed, many of her images are so effective in capturing Pegahmagabow’s unjust treatment in Canada that few words are needed to impart meaning and emotion. This latter point holds true for illustrations in other chapters as well, such as with the heartbreaking graphics by Ryan Howe and Jen Storm (coloured by Donovan Yaciuk), in the aforementioned story, “Nimkii”.
This Place includes backmatter with detailed reference notes, a select bibliography for further reading, and a short biography and photo for each of the 21 contributors (Indigenous writers and illustrators, and colourists). My copy’s poor binding meant that pages fell loose almost immediately in some sections, a slight aberration from an otherwise stellar book that invites repeated study.
This Place is a vital resource for learning about Indigenous histories and racialized inequality in Canada. It will be valuable in high school classrooms for kickstarting important discussions about history from Indigenous perspectives and resetting the dial on Canadian history. Adults will also find much thought-provoking material in this graphic novel anthology.
Anita Miettunen is a writer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She holds a Master of Arts in Children’s Literature from the University of British Columbia.