Description
Écrit par Peggy Janicki une enseignante Dakelh qui fait partie de la Première Nation Nak’azdli Whut’en. Illustré par Carrielynn Victor et elle compte parmi ses ancêtres des Autochtones Salish du littoral établis sur le territoire S’ólh Téméxw (leurs terres) depuis des temps immémoriaux et des Européens occidentaux qui se sont installés dans le nord de l’Île de la Tortue dès le XVIIe siècle. Traduit par Rachel Martinez.
"Nous avons mis bien plus que de la nourriture dans nos poches, nous les avons remplies de notre avenir."
We filled our pockets with so much more than food. We filled them with our future.
The true story of how Indigenous girls at a residential school sewed secret pockets into their dresses to hide food and survive. Mary was four years old when she was first taken away to the Lejac Indian Residential School. It was far away from her home and family. Always hungry and cold, there was little comfort for young Mary. Speaking Dakelh was forbidden and the nuns and priest were always watching, ready to punish. Mary and the other girls had a genius idea: drawing on the knowledge from their mothers, aunts and grandmothers who were all master sewers, the girls would sew hidden pockets in their clothes to hide food. They secretly gathered materials and sewed at nighttime, then used their pockets to hide apples, carrots and pieces of bread to share with the younger girls. Based on the author's mother's experience at residential school, The Secret Pocket is a story of survival and resilience in the face of genocide and cruelty. But it's also a celebration of quiet resistance to the injustice of residential schools and how the sewing skills passed down through generations of Indigenous women gave these girls a future, stitch by stitch. Audience: Ages 6-8.
The First Nation Communities 2024-2025 READ Awards, Children’s Category Shortlist. English version.
The Prose in English Award Nominee. The 2024 Indigenous Voices Awards.
Comprehensive Teacher Resources:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wKKLtZIehMqVo7e_rXrX_qnRTfDO_5_x/view
Cruncher Review inspired by the book, “The Secret Pocket” by Peggy Janice (2023)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DfBo9WAt9Sl64_ps0itZtI8Mp1wgpI8t/view