Four Faces of the Moon

Gr 7 Up–In this adaptation of Strong’s (Michif) stop-motion animated film, Gidagaakoons (“Spotted Fawn”) meets her grandmother and other ancestors in a dreamlike landscape. Spotted Fawn is a photographer, and through her lens readers learn more about her Métis, Cree, Nakoda, and Anishinaabe backgrounds. The story retells the extermination of the buffalo between the 1860s and 1880s by the U.S. government and the devastating effects on Indigenous livelihood and land. This graphic novel deftly conveys the generational trauma endured by Spotted Fawn’s family and their ultimate survival. The artwork is moving and intense, with deep shades of blue dominating. An afterword includes information on Michif culture and history from Dr. Sherry Farrell-Racette (Michif), an associate professor of Native studies and women’s and gender studies at the University of Manitoba. Overall, the graphic novel effectively portrays how Indigenous youth can reconnect to their ancestors through art, language, and cultural knowledge.