Stand Like a Cedar

The pages of this comfortably-sized little picture book provide the canvas for a tribute from two First Nations artists to the land and to all the living things that inhabit it. A simple narrative with a slightly singsong cadence describes daily activity for indigenous peoples on the west coast, sadly from a time gone by for some. Paddling, fishing, berry-picking – they are all mentioned in the most reverent tone.

We listened as our Elders shared a song about

our ancestors when they travelled by horse and wagon,

and before that by travois and on moccasin-covered foot,

in search of traditional foods to nourish our families.

We are grateful for the land that takes care of us.

And:

A mother [grizzly bear] and her cubs crawled into their cave.

She shared a beautiful song about resilience.

I am grateful to walk in the footsteps of my ancestors.

Their courage to survive ensured our culture and traditions

will always be shared with future generations.

Every member of the family has a role to play in living out this traditional lifestyle.

The interpolation of words in the Coastal and Interior Salish languages provide another layer of understanding of the relationship of humans to the rest of the earth and its beings. Unfortunately, it is impossible to include examples of the words in this review as many of the characters, as well as the diacritical marks, are not part of a standard keyboard. A glossary and pronunciation guide, along with a detailed note about the two languages, appear at the end of the book.

The pictures use cool clear colours to solidly portray human and animal figures, but backgrounds are generally more impressionistic than exact in showing woodland and waterfront scenes. A number of the traditional animal motifs, which may be familiar from totem poles and masks, are also included. For example, a proud boy holds up the large salmon he has caught. It is not a naturalistically rendered fish but the stylized salmon of a Northwest Coast piece of art. The image is accompanied by this text:

Five kinds of salmon came to visit us. They shared a story

of when our great river was clean. We could walk on

the backs of a million spawning salmon. Our nets were

always full and our children never hungry.

The next page shows a grandfather and a little girl by a salmon drying rack, faced by a page with rows of shining glass jars of canned salmon.

Illustrator Carrielynn Victor is described this way on the jacket: “Along with a thriving art practice, Carrielynn maintains a communal role as a plant practitioner. The responsibilities for traditional plant practitioners range from protection and preservation of lands to networking and trade, and harvest and preparation methods.” She has clearly brought all of that knowledge to bear in this work.

Stand Like a Cedar is a good resource for information about indigenous ways of life in the Pacific Northwest, as well as about the concept of environmental protection. The second-language element, including the Salish words using an unfamiliar alphabet, provides another thread for a discussion with groups or individual children at the primary level.