The Chief

Wow, what a great series. What a wonderful idea. In the US, at least, most people don't know much of native american (first nation) history, and certainly not the chiefs of the tribes. This is a great graphic novel format, and very informative, and I think that it is good for all ages, including the age it is meant for.

The Chief Mistahimaskwa is part of a graphic novel series geared towards educating people on Indigenous history in Canada. This particular book is about a young, Indigenous girl who is learning about Mistahimaskwa in school. Her book is accidentally hit by lightening, and this magically allows the text to visually show her what the history behind his man was really like.

Mistahimaskwa was an important leader during the time when white Canadian colonizers were pressuring Indigenous groups to sign treaties, exchanging their land for benefits from the government. Mistahimaskwa, however, refused to deal with government representatives, and became a great figure among Indigenous people for his peaceful and diplomatic resistance. In the end, he was forced into signing a treaty, but he never stopped advocating for better treatment for his people and other Indigenous groups in Canada.

I would have liked to see the historical narrative fleshed out a bit, giving readers more context for what was going on during this time period. On the other hand, I can see why the creators wanted to keep it short for younger readers. The book will work well in schools as both to teach history, but also to talk about modern issues such as Truth and Reconciliation. I am always stoked to see new resources like this be published because Indigenous narratives are so often ignored and left out of Canadian history lessons (and daily Canadian life as well). Having a set of stories focusing on important Indigenous figures is incredibly important for educating Canadians from all backgrounds on the terrible history of colonialism, and on the bravery and resilience of Indigenous people. I look forward to seeing the rest of the series, and I will be on the lookout for them to get for my younger family members.

This graphic novel summarizes the life of Mistahimaskwa, one of the Cree Chiefs who tried to do what he felt was best for his people when the white man came to their land. He refused to sign the treaties, but when the buffalo disappeared and his people were starving, he gave in. He tried to reduce bloodshed during attacks, but eventually gave himself up and spent two years in prison. A good book to teach about this period in time and to give a snapshot of some of the historical facts. I had never heard of Mistahimaskwa, so am glad I read this book. I recommend this book for school and class libraries that deal with middle grade students.

I really enjoyed this!

It's definitely written for middle grade kids in mind, so if reading YA is not your thing, I would give this a miss. I would definitely check it out if you are a teacher or are interested in teaching. As a preservice teacher I am always looking for ways to teach new content and I am certainly on the lookout for diverse material that presents multiple perspectives.

I was pleased with this, I thought the formatting would be interesting for a middle grade student who needed to learn about this particular time period in history. The graphic novel contained quite a few details, maps, dates and names of places that you could look up and research later if you wanted to.

I loved the main protagonist although I was a bit sad that the girl introduced in the first part of the story didn't have a stronger role or didn't react more to the story? I think she was a really good platform for the reader because this young girl is a modern character, so it's a little bit disappointing that she didn't have more interaction with the text?

Nicely done, I'll keep this in mind for my classroom. C:

Thanks Netgalley, for allowing me to read it in exchange for an honest review.

As the saying goes, to the victor goes the spoils and err... the stories. This has been the narrative of western civilisation. Our history books are distorted with fanciful tales of the victor, tales that magnifies their exploits and obscure their questionable deeds. There are not a lot of voices from the point of view of the vanquished. The few voices that exist are faint as they are being drowned out by the mainstream stories. However, seeing a graphic novel that tries to tell a tale from an alternative view is one of the reasons why I decided to pick up The Chief Mistahimaskwa, a middle-grade YA historical-based adventure story.

The Chief Mistahimaskwa is about Sarah, a girl who gets sucked into a book and finds herself looking into the Saskatchewan Plains of 1832 where she sees the life of a young boy who is learning the ways of his people (the Cree) and would later become the chief. This story is based on what happened to the Cree during an era when the Europeans are taking over the native lands of the Cree, around the area that is now known as Canada.

What fascinates me about The Chief Mistahimaskwa is that though it is an historical-based fictional tale, it shows the sensibilities and perspectives of the Cree in a colourless tone. The main spine of the tale is about Mistahimaskwa, who is also known as Big Bear, as he tries to helps his people survive and navigate the new world that is ushered in with the advent of the Europeans. The Chief leads his people through famine, diseases and is reported to be the last chief to sign a treaty with the Europeans. Though he meets with difficult opposition within and without, he tries to steer his people away from bloodshed that is inevitable as they try to fight with the invaders.

The Chief Mistahimaskwa is a delightful graphic novel with a straight-forward historically based tale on one of the main players of Cree during 1800s. The art is simple and the bright colours invite us into the story. The dialogue is great in parts and conveys enough charm for us to progress with the tale . This is a book reluctant reads can get into with ease. The language is direct while complex narratives and concepts are ditched for a simple tale that can be grasped by all and sundry.

Many thanks to Portage & Main Press for review copy.

It's hard for me to read books about indigenous peoples and not feel like it's wrong to own land.

How do you take something previously unowned (and used freely by all) and decide to own it? At best it's theft. At worst it's a god complex leading to genocide.

But it’s important for people to remember things that actually happened.

This is from a series of graphic novels for middle schoolers about indigenous Americans from Canada’s history. This one tells the story of Cree chief Mistahimaskwa.

Worth reading.

I love the ability of books to educate, and comic books are no exception. I've read a few this year that deal with historical figures, and this is another one to add to that list.

Knowing nothing of Big Bear, or anything about Native American history, I found this was a fantastic overview of his history, and I'm sure enough to spur others on to learn more.

'The Chief Mistahimaskwa' by David Alexander Roberson with art by Scott B. Henderson tells the story of a Cree chief of the Saskatchewan Plains in a graphic novel format. It succeeds and fails on a few different levels.

There is a framing story about a girl named Sarah who has lost a book after an encounter with a bear. She later finds it and is taken into a living history version of the story in the book. We learn about Mistahimaskwa from the time he is little, all the way to his death. It's a good story, if an all too typical one. Food sources and land taken by settlers. That's not to say this isn't a story that needs to be told. Just that it is a sad one. Sarah is whisked out of her book adventure to pass it along to someone else in the class that might benefit.

I do like that this was presented as a graphic novel, but it feels like an educational book, meaning the facts presented feel dry sometimes. The art is a good average. The whole thing feels a bit like the old Classics Illustrated books, and that's not a condemnation. I just wish this sort of material were able to somehow be elevated a bit. I appreciated learning about this historical figure, and hopefully retelling this story will cause reflection.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Portage & Main Press, Highwater Press, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Although written for middle-schoolers, I nonetheless learned things from this book. I had never heard of this chief, and this book does a great job telling about the struggle and ultimately the treaty signed by both sides.