The Gift of the Little People - Children's Book

At the time of the spring thaw, the Rocky Cree fill their canoes with furs, eager to trade with the new visitors in mistiwasahak (Hudson Bay).  But not all of the new visitors are welcome.  When the canoes return home to the shore of the misinipi river, the Rocky Cree begin to collapse one by one, drenched in sweatband slowly slipping into delirium.  Kakakiw 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 Kakakiw can journey to their home, he will be given the medicine his people need.  All he has do do is paddle through a cliff of solid bedrock to get there.  To save his people from certain death, Kakakiw must overcome doubt to follow the traditional teachings of the Asiniskaw Ithiniwak and trust in the gift of the Little People.  In this illustrated short story of all ages, celebrated Rocky Cree storyteller William Dumas shares a teaching about hope in the face of adversity.

About the Author:
William Dumas, a Rocky Cree storyteller, was born in South Indian Lake Manitoba.  For 25 years , he has been an educator and administrator; his passion for the Cree language and culture are well aligned with his current position as Cree Language and Culture Coordinator for the Nisichawayasihk (Nelson House) Education Authority.  As the author of The Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Ithiniwak series, Williams knows first-hand the power of storytelling has to teach Indigenous youth where they come from and where they are going.