David Bouchard, illustrated by Dennis J. Weber.
The Secret of Your Name / Kiimooch ka shinikashooyen
Red Deer Press, 2010.

Rating: E*

The author laments that as a child he "somehow sensed [he] had the blood/of people who were just like" those who first lived in the land now known as Canada. As years went by, the clues to his heritage slowly faded away; people close to him chose not to tell him because of extremely difficult choices that they themselves had had to make. When he finally learns of his Métis heritage after a long time, the author apologizes to his ancestors for not knowing the songs or the stories that had traditionally been passed down from one generation to the next. But he promises to seek these out and not only "claim them as [his] very own" but also to teach them to his own family and share them with others - both to honour his ancestors and to show how proud he is to be Métis.

The use of language is beautiful and poetic, drawing in the reader with its rhythms and patterns into a very intimate and moving story. There is something very haunting throughout, a sense of longing and awakening that eventually gives rise to understanding, transformation of self, and the embracing of that new self. Though the story may be challenging to some younger readers, the text is simple and the illustrations provide fabulous details. Weber’s oil paintings are gorgeous, reflecting the sense of loss, longing, and searching that the author experiences. Perhaps the best of these paintings is also the book’s cover - the author peers into a hollowed-out log in which water has collected and sees the reflection of an ancestor he’d never before known. Bouchard appears in some of the paintings and two prominent Métis - Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont - have their pictures included.

The book is written in both English and Michif, and the CD also includes readings in both languages.

Thematic Links: Michif Language; Métis - History, Heritage, Culture; Canada - History; Self-understanding; Self-acceptance

Ken Kilback
Vol. 15, number 4
April 2010

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.