Bowwow Powwow : Bagosenjige-niimi’idim by Brenda J. Child
Published: May 2018
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
As per the author’s note, Bowwow Powwow “celebrates the history of Ojibwe song and dance, past and present.” It also stands to correct inaccurate information on the part of anthropologists who’d designated the Ojibwe dance referenced in this book as the “Begging Dance.” Bowwow Powwow then rights this perspective and demonstrates this dance rather as an act of generosity and friendship. I appreciate books that set right fallacious narratives that have been recorded throughout history. I also admire the fact that this book is bilingual and is written in both English and Ojibwe. I only wished that the backmatter would have included a glossary or even a bit more historical context for educators to share with their readers. In this way, Bowwow Powwow acts as a great springboard for a potential student research project.
Bowwow Powwow is a 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Award winner and is recommended for ages 3-7. You can find coloring pages on the Minnesota Historical Society Press’s site.
Shout-Outs
Brenda J. Child | https://cla.umn.edu/about/directory/profile/child011
Gordon Jourdain | https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17886969.Gordon_Jourdain
Jonathan Thunder | http://thunderfineart.com/
Minnesota Historical Society Press | https://www.mnhs.org/mnhspress
Borrowed from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
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