Their Own Story to Tell

Don’t let the title fool you.

“This Land Is My Land” by George Littlechild (Children’s Book Press) is not about owning property.

It is about owning identity.

“First Nations people are starting to tell our own stories,” says Littlechild. “So often we are talked about as though we have disappeared, and we haven’t.

“If you want to know about a people you should ask them--not white anthropologists.”

With re-education as a goal, Littlechild, a Plains Cree Indian who lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, gathered some of the work he has created as a multimedia artist and wrote accompanying text, forging a children’s book that is no fairy tale. Instead, the book consists of multiple stories that make up the history of his people.

Yet it is not really a book just for children.

“It’s for all ages. Many people can relate to some of the themes, like alcoholism,” Littlechild says. “It’s a multilayered book: It’s a history book, an art book and a lesson in the lives of First Nations people.”

Still, Littlechild has emphasized teaching the young. Part of that effort was his appearance Tuesday at “Keepers of the Dream,” a program sponsored by the Nickerson Gardens Community Service Center that seeks to motivate at-risk youths.

He will also read today from 2-4 p.m. at Midnight Special Bookstore in Santa Monica.

“Children ask great questions,” he says. “They ask about American Indians and why they were treated that way.”

And while Littlechild seeks to help readers think about their own histories, his book has also reminded some children of their shared connection.

“In one group, five students had Indian ancestors. They were Latino, white, African-American--all kinds of kids. I touched a part of who they are.”