Finalist, Governor General's Literary Award in the Translation Category
A Quebec bestseller based on the life of Michel Jean’s great-grandmother that delivers an empathetic portrait of drastic change in an Innu community.
Kukum recounts the story of Almanda Siméon, an orphan raised by her aunt and uncle, who falls in love with a young Innu man despite their cultural differences and goes on to share her life with the Pekuakami Innu community. They accept her as one of their own: Almanda learns their language, how to live a nomadic existence, and begins to break down the barriers imposed on Indigenous women. Unfolding over the course of a century, the novel details the end of traditional ways of life for the Innu, as Almanda and her family face the loss of their land and confinement to reserves, and the enduring violence of residential schools.
Kukum intimately expresses the importance of Innu ancestral values and the need for freedom nomadic peoples feel to this day.
Finalist, Governor General's Literary Award in the Translation Category
A Quebec bestseller based on the life of Michel Jean’s great-grandmother that delivers an empathetic portrait of drastic change in an Innu community.
Kukum recounts the story of Almanda Siméon, an orphan raised by her aunt and uncle, who falls in love with a young Innu man despite their cultural differences and goes on to share her life with the Pekuakami Innu community. They accept her as one of their own: Almanda learns their language, how to live a nomadic existence, and begins to break down the barriers imposed on Indigenous women. Unfolding over the course of a century, the novel details the end of traditional ways of life for the Innu, as Almanda and her family face the loss of their land and confinement to reserves, and the enduring violence of residential schools.
Kukum intimately expresses the importance of Innu ancestral values and the need for freedom nomadic peoples feel to this day.
| Published By | House of Anansi Press Inc — Jul 11, 2023 |
| Specifications | 224 pages | 5.5 in x 8.5 in |
| Keywords | magical realism; the bjorkan sagas; harold johnson; |
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Supporting Resources
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Excerpt |
| Written By |
MICHEL JEAN is a writer, TV news anchor, and investigative journalist. The author of eleven books, he also writes and curates short stories and has edited two French-language collections showcasing Indigenous writers: Amun (2016) and Wapke (2021). In his 2012 novel Elle et nous, he opened up about his own Indigenous origins for the very first time. Kukum won the Prix France-Québec in 2020. Michel is Innu from Mashteuiatsh and much of his writing reflects his Indigenous origins. |
| Written By |
|
MICHEL JEAN is a writer, TV news anchor, and investigative journalist. The author of eleven books, he also writes and curates short stories and has edited two French-language collections showcasing Indigenous writers: Amun (2016) and Wapke (2021). In his 2012 novel Elle et nous, he opened up about his own Indigenous origins for the very first time. Kukum won the Prix France-Québec in 2020. Michel is Innu from Mashteuiatsh and much of his writing reflects his Indigenous origins. |
Short-listed, Governor General's Literary Award in the Translation Category, 2023
An admirable book. Jean makes us feel the loss experienced by Quebec’s Innu community through a highly personal story … Kukum serves as a reminder to listen to your elders, heed the lessons of the past, and question what is done in the name of progress.
” —Montreal Review of BooksThere is no escaping the history of this country, but that does not make this story a tragedy. It is first and foremost a celebration of a life well-lived.
” —Winnipeg Free Press