On a journey to uncover her family's story, Spotted Fawn travels
through time and space to reclaim connection to ancestors, language, and
the land--creating a path forward in this essential graphic novel.
In the dreamworld she bears witness to a mountain of buffalo skulls.
They stand as a ghostly monument to the slaughter of the Plains bison to
near extinction-- a key tactic to starve and contain the Indigenous
People onto reservations. On this path, Spotted Fawn knows she must
travel through her own family history to confront the harsh realities of
the past and reignite her connection to her people and the land. Her
darkroom becomes a portal, and her photographs allow her glimpses into
the lives of her relatives over the course of four chapters of this
book, which follow the phases of the moon. Time and space become
unlocked and unfurl in front of her eyes. Guided by her ancestors,
Spotted Fawn's travels through the past allow her to come into full
face--like the moon itself.
Adapted from the acclaimed stop-motion animated film of the same name,
written and directed by Amanda Strong, Four Faces of the Moon brings
the oral and written history of the Michif, Cree, Nakoda and Anishinaabe
Peoples and their cultural link to the buffalo alive on the page. Deeply
resonant and beautifully rendered, this graphic novel retelling is
essential reading.
Backmatter by Dr. Sherry Farrell-Racette (Michif), an associate
professor of Native Studies and Women's and Gender Studies at the
University of Manitoba, provides information on Michif culture and
history and the injustices of colonialism.
