ANNE M. CROSSMAN: Kakfwi’s new book gives readers an understanding of what First Nations children in Canada went through – Saltwire

Annapolis Valley Register columnist Anne M. Crossman is a former journalist and media manager. She now does volunteer work in her community of Annapolis Royal, Annapolis County. – Contributed

Every now and then I read a book that moves me more than I expected when I picked it up.

In this case, a friend lent us a book written by a Northern acquaintance and edited by a good friend we met in the North.

You’ve heard and seen all the news clips on television about the residential schools in this country. You’ve seen the tears and you’ve heard First Nations people try to tell what happened to them when they were little. You may have shed a tear. You may have felt a twinge of guilt. You might have blamed the churches and the governments.

Stoneface, A Defiant Dene, written by Stephen Kakfwi of Fort Good Hope on the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories, has taken me into a life that started soft, became hard, and left a smart little person stuck inside himself for decades and decades.

Read More: https://www.saltwire.com/prince-edward-island/news/canada/anne-m-crossman-kakfwis-new-book-gives-readers-an-understanding-of-what-first-nations-children-in-canada-went-through-100957799/