Issuu

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To my father Joseph Fabian.

An amazing man and a great father.

Children were drawn easily drawn to him

and he was loved by many.

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REACH FOR THE STARS

These four children are in the four directions of the medicine wheel. In the sky around them are the seven animals who represent the seven teachings. Receiving these teachings from a very young age, the children will be capable of doing anything. So, they each reach for a star.

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VISIT FROM THE ANCESTOR

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A dragonfly lands on this child’s hand. Our ancestors, who guide us now and to the spirit world, come back to visit us as dragonflies. This little dragonfly has come to this child on Orange T-shirt Day to say, “honour my memory.”

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MEDICINE TEACHING

Grandmother and Grandfather sit with the children showing them how to smudge and how to pray.

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MAKING MEMORIES

Grandmother and Grandfather are relaxing with their grandchildren after picking berries. They’re just spending time in nature and loving up their grandchildren, making memories with them.

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This was inspired by my grandchild. One day, just out of the blue, she said to me, “I love you kookoo.” This drawing is to say, “I love you too.”

I LOVE YOU KOOKOO

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UNISON

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These are little people. They are spirit people who live in the bush. As children, we were told that they might keep you if you go too far in the bush. Here, the little people are stopping under a flower to get shelter from the rain. They are holding onto each other while hiding from the rain.

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Here is kookum, hugging and loving up her two granddaughters, her favourite things in all the world.

KOOKUM’S FAVOURITES

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HELLO RELATIVES

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While this little boy was picking berries, he sees these little sparrows. Because we are related to everything in nature, he’s saying “hi” to the birds, his relatives.

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This is a mother and her daughter in a special place, a sanctuary, visiting the butterflies. Girls are butterflies in the making. When they’re little, a girl is like being in the cocoon from which she blossoms into being woman, a beautiful butterfly.

BUTTERFLY SANCTUARY

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I GIVE YOU MY HEART

This boy is courting a girl. He’s picked her a heart shaped flower to say, “I give you my heart.”

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NOKOMIS AND HER CHILDREN

Nokomis, the grandmother, is turtle clan. Her children are little thunderbirds. She has her arms around children while little thunderbirds fly around them.

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STRAWBERRY FAST

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When girls are approaching womanhood, leaving childhood into the adolescence of a young woman, they go on a fast. For a year they don’t eat any strawberries. This young woman is having her first taste of a berry after her fast.

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Here’s the little people again. They’re out in the bush picking blueberries.

BERRY PICKERS

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THE SEVEN TEACHINGS

These are the seven teachings in words. I put strawberries in this painting, because they are sacred, they are heart medicine. I did this drawing so children can actually see the words, colour them, and learn to spell them.

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HELLO FRIEND

This is my granddaughter, Lilly. She absolutely loves pigeons. They are her favourite bird. And she loves rainbows. Here she is with her little pigeon surrounded by a rainbow and she’s saying “hello” to her friend.

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STARBERRIES

From a story I heard about a famine. The people were really hungry, so they prayed and they did ceremony. Creator sent down these little stars from the sky that landed on the berries. Then there were lots and lots of berries for the people to eat.

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HONOUR SONG

This little girl has her ancestors on her shawl. She is surrounded by flowers, and visited by dragonflies who are her ancestors. She is getting ready to play her drum and sing an honour song for her ancestors.

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BEAR PICNIC

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Mama bear with her five cubs have just had a good feast on berries. Mama is holding little baby bear ‘cause that one ate too much, so she’s taking a nap.

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BABY IS NAPPING

Another mama bear and her cubs are out traveling around looking for food. Sometimes, they have to stop to wait while the little ones have a nap.

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SOWING THE SEEDS OF LOVE

A little boy and a little girl are planting strawberries, the heart medicine. They’re sowing the seeds of love.

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THE SEVEN TEACHINGS

Another picture of the seven teachings — bison (respect), beaver (wisdom), bear (courage), turtle (truth), wolf (humility), and eagle (love). I didn’t put the sabe in this one, just put his footprint as a reminder to walk in honesty because that’s what the sabe represents.

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LITTLE DRAGONFLY BOY

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Dragonflies are the ancestors. A little boy is playing his drum to call on his ancestors.

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GENERATIONS

Three generations that are connected. A mother is braiding her daughter’s hair, her daughter is braiding her daughter’s hair, and her daughter is with her doll.

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AHMOO

Bumblebee in Anishinaabe is a simple word, Ahmoo. But the bumblebee is so important to our life. Without the bumblebee pollinating the flowers, we wouldn’t have food to survive.

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Mama is out with her little girls. They’re picking blueberries.

MOMMA’S LITTLE HELPERS

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I SEE YOU

Sometimes we need to reassure one another that we see each other — I see you, I hear you, you exist, and you are important to me.

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Kookum’s grandchildren are just so happy to see her and be with her. They’re crawling all over her, hugging her and loving her up. They are her little blessings.

KOOKUM’S LITTLE BLESSING

LITTLE PICKERS

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The little people picking strawberries this time. There’s one, the littlest one, on the ground taking a break and sneaking a bite.

MOMMA’S BLESSING

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O A tender, quiet moment — just mom with her baby.

MAMA’S BLESSING

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THE SEVEN TEACHINGS

The seven teachings in amongst strawberries, the heart medicine.

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STRAWBERRY MOON

Nokomis, grandmother/turtle clan, during the strawberry moon.

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MAKOONS

Makoons, the baby bear, holding his drum and he’s going to sing.

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O Grandmother wolf singing in the full moon.

GRANDMOTHER WOLF

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I MISSED YOU KOOKOO

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A little boy, who hasn’t seen his grandmother for a while, runs up for a hug and says, “I missed you kookoo.”

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This is a fancy shawl dancer doing a dance with a butterfly, surrounded by butterflies as she dances. The fancy shawl dancer represents butterflies.

BUTTERFLY DANCER

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SABE WITH HIS SWEETGRASS

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This handsome fellow, Sabe, has just gone medicine picking. He’s holding sweetgrass, the medicine he has picked. Sabe is good medicine. And so, he’s smiling the sweetest smile.

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AMIK PRAYS

Amik (beaver) is a very hard worker. They’re very busy and very smart, clean animals. Here Amik is praying for clean waters.

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GRATEFUL

This is a little girl praying. She’s grateful because creator has given her the most beautiful butterfly wings.

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HOMEFIRES

The mother’s and the father’s hands that bless and protect the family and keep the home fires burning.

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FUTURE ELDERS

These children are inside a teepee, carrying the four medicines. The children will grow to be elders in our community. It is very important that we bring love and the teachings to them when they are young.

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About the Artist

jackie traverse is Anishinaabe. A graduate from the School of Fine Arts at the University of Manitoba, Jackie works in many mediums, including painting in oils and acrylics to mixed media, sculpture, and stop-motion animation.

The injustices faced by Indigenous Peoples are integral to Jackie’s art, leading her to be deeply involved in her community. Through her art Jackie expresses her ideas and opinions while striving to inspire dialogue on addressing her people’s social issues. “I can be inspired by ceremony and prayer, as well as kind and moving words. I love the culture of my people and this is where most of my inspiration comes from.” To Jackie, painting is truly where her heart lies. Jackie is known nationally and internationally as an amazingly gifted artist. Children are Medicine is Jackie’s fourth colouring book. Resilience was published in 2022; IKWE was published in 2018; and Sacred Feminine was published in 2016.

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. The publisher expressly prohibits the use of this work in connection with the development of any software program, including, without limitation, training a machine learning or generative artificial intelligence (AI) system. Image editing & cover design: Karen Allen Printed and bound in Canada ISBN 9781773638171

Published in Canada by Roseway Publishing an imprint of Fernwood Publishing Halifax and Winnipeg 2970 Oxford Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3L 2W4 www.fernwoodpublishing.ca/roseway

Fernwood Publishing Company Limited gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts.

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Children Are Medicine is the fourth colouring book by Anishinaabe artist Jackie Traverse. This new

book contains both new drawings and original artwork. Children Are Medicine honours the place of children in the lives of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous children were specifically targeted as part of a colonial mission, which removed them from their families, their culture, and their vital role in sustaining their communities. In this book, Jackie pays tribute to and celebrates the joy and vitality

Indigenous Nations.

that children bring to the life of communities. The love that children generate is vital to healing

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