Neekna and Chemai
What's This Book About
Neekna and Chemai are two little girls growing up in the Okanagan Valley in the time before European contact. Through these two friends, we learn about the seasonal life patterns of the Okanagan First Peoples. The girls spend time with Great-Grandmother, who tells them about important ceremonies, and they gather plants with Neekna’s grandmother. Grandmother explains how bitterroot came to be an important food source, and why the people give a special ceremony of thanks at its harvest. Grandmother also tells the story of how a woman was changed to a rock to watch over the Okanagan Valley. Neekna understands how important it is that she has received the knowledge passed down for generations, from great-grandmother to grandmother to mother.
What Kind of Book is Neekna and Chemai
Genres
Race, Ethnicities, & Nationalities
Reviews
Book Lists That Include This Book
The Creatives Behind the Book
Jeannette Armstrong is an award-winning novelist, activist and poet born on the Okanagan Reserve. Known for her literary work, Armstrong has always sought to change deeply biased misconceptions about Indigenous people. Her novel Slash is considered by many people to be the first novel by a First Nations woman. In 2013 she was appointed a Canada Research Chair in Okanagan Indigenous Knowledge and Philosophy to research, document, categorize and analyze Okanagan syilx oral literature in Nsyilxcn.
Barbara Marchand is an author, editor and an illustrator of children’s books and young adult books. Her credits include Kou-Skelowh/We are the People: A Trilogy of Okanagan Legends (new bilingual edition). She lives in the Okanagan region of British Columbia.
What Has Jeannette Armstrong Said About This Book
Nothing yet! Let Jeannette Armstrong know that you want to hear from them about their book.
What Has Barbara Marchand Said About This Book
Nothing yet! Let Barbara Marchand know that you want to hear from them about their book.
Other Books You Might Enjoy If You Liked This Book
Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781926886435
- Publication Date
- May 28, 2019
- Publisher
- Orca Book Publisher
- Page Count
- 52
- Audience
- Picture
- Reading Age
- 4 - 7 years
Contribute to this page
Are you the author or illustrator? Claim your book.