Darla Enyagotailak

The eighth entry in The Land Is Our Storybook series, intended to highlight the peoples and cultures of Canada's Northwest Territories and Nunavut, No Borders/Kigliqangittuq follows sixteen-year-old Inuit girl and co-author Darla Evyagotailak as she joins her elders on a cross-country journey from Kugluktuk, Nunavut to Ulukhaktok, Northwest Terrirtories, to visit some kin. Copiously illustrated with photographs by Tessa Macintosh (who is the photographer for the entire series), the book explores such topics as family structure - Darla is raised by her grand-parents, whom she calls Mother and Dad, rather than her biological mother - subsistence practices out on the land, and some of the after-effects of colonialism. The latter includes language loss, the loss of such customs as face tattooing, and the high suicide rate resulting from what Darla describes as a general sense of "sadness" in her community. The book ends with Darla's determination to keep learning about her people's traditions and way of life...

Having now read all eight titles currently available in this series, I think it's interesting to note that the books have become more political over time. The previous entry, Raymond Taniton's At the Heart of It / Dene dzó t'áré, in which the native co-author was an adult man, rather than a young person, is probably the most political of the lot, but No Borders / Kigliqangittuq also explores some political issues, including the division of the Northwest Territories in two, and the creation of Nunavut. I continue to find the format of these books engaging, and appreciate the glimpse they offer into peoples and cultures far from where I live, and far removed from my own cultural background. I'm certainly glad this series exists, and that it provides that window to young readers around North America. Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed other entries in this non-ficiton series, as well as to those searching for children's books about Inuit people in the here and now.… (mehr)

“No Borders: Kigliqangittuq” is about Darla Evyagotailak, a 16 year-old girl, and her Inuit community. The book mostly traces Darla’s journey with her family from Kugluktuk, the town she lives in, and Ulukhaktok, the town her great-grandparents grew up in, and in which many of her elders still live. The journey takes place over land and frozen sea, and along the way her family teaches her a lot about traditional survival skills and the landscape. Once they reach Ulukhaktok, Darla spends time with her elders, and here the reader gets a glimpse of the current effects of colonialism on the people: Darla cannot speak her traditional language, and because of this, there is an intergenerational disconnect with her great-great grandmother- they cannot communicate with one another verbally; insights into intergenerational trauma are brought about as Darla tries to understand the “sadness” around her, the issues of suicide within her community, and the talk of the elders about what they had to give up for the life the community has now. It would be interesting to see a book for older readers in which Darla finds the answers she’s looking for.

The book offers maps, pictures, language excerpts, and explanations as supplements to Darla's story, providing additional pieces of information on regional divides, family ties, and traditions the reader can interact with. The pictures and explanations act in an intriguing show-and-tell format when explaining the history and culture of Darla and her community. The photography brings the reader right along for the ride, as we see the land as her storybook!… (mehr)