Apli’kmuj’s Journey

In many of the books appearing from the new crop of small publishers, such as New Brunswick’s Monster House, native languages and names are a prominent feature. The tale of Apli’kmuj’s (Rabbit) journey is one such story, with the interpolation of Mi’kmaq names and a helpful pronunciation guide as a preface.

Apli’kmuj is a young animal setting off to find the place of the summer gathering. This will be the first time he has gone by himself.

Apli’kmuj was happily hopping and jumping and skipping

through the forest when suddenly he came upon a river.
He couldn’t remember his Nkij [mother] or Nujj [father]

telling him about a river so he decided to ask Plamu (salmon)

for directions.

(The first time each of the Mi’kmaq words appears in the text, a translation follows.)

In a cadence familiar from traditional folktales, the rabbit meets a succession of birds and animals happy to direct him to the spot where the gathering will happen. Even plants such as sage and tobacco help point the way.

Near the end:

Apli’kmuj was tired from hopping around all day.

But he knew that he was close to the gathering. The sun

began to fade and the shade grew around him.

How could that be? It was the middle of the day! Confused

he looked to the sky to see a canopy of Gagusi (cedar) branches.

The trees creaked and swayed until they all pointed north.

With a hopeful heart, Apli’kmuj sprinted north.

With a burst of light, Apli’kmuj came into a clearing.

The gathering!

The rabbit’s quest ends with feasting and dancing. The fox and the owl are shown joining in.

The simple story is illustrated with the author’s own unsophisticated pictures. Soft green, blues and earth tones tell the tale of travel through woods and meadows. There is no note about the medium used in the pictures, but most of the shapes are rounded and outlines are soft. One of the most effective images is of the rabbit sitting on a green bank looking out at variegated bands of blue representing water, with a bronze sun high in the sky. A stand of sweetgrass is in the foreground, “billowing toward the west”.

Looking through this book on 30 September made me mindful of the importance of the upsurge of books coming from Canadian publishers that are written and illustrated by members of various First Nations. The biographical note at the end of Apli’kmuj’s Journey says that Cyr wants to “help bridge the gap between traditional ways of knowing and modern day society. Eventually Braelyn plans to help both First Nations and non-First Nations youth to broaden their appreciation of Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, and Peskotomuhkati cultures through the power of art”.

Libraries and schools will enjoy using Apli’kmuj’s Journey as an additional resource.