Gedakina Book Series
Gedakina is committed to raising the voices of Native American Women and encouraging Gedakina staff to write and share their works with the larger community. You can find the first of two books in our collection for sale here. We look forward to sharing more published work with you soon!
Now Available! Wliniwaskw Wliahki: Good Spirit Good Earth Audio Recording. Written and recorded by Vermont Author, Patricia Austin
Wliniwaskw Wliahki: Good Spirit Good Earth
By Patricia Austin
Patricia Sweet Austin is from Vermont and descends from Abenaki and European ancestry. As a Western Abenaki language learner, she is currently exploring language-related projects for Gedakina. Patricia recently authored a new book for the Gedakina Book Series called Wliniwaskw Wliahki – Good Spirit Good Earth. She is also a French pastry chef and author of Pâtisserie Gluten Free. Patricia lives on a little mountain with her two dogs and loves being with the land.
Wliniwaskw Wliahki brings together photos of northeastern woodlands and poetry written in Western Abenaki with translations.
The inspiration for this book arises from the urgent need for humans to develop an understanding and relationship with the land, a way of life that is long overdue in our world today. The earth is alive. Her resonant voices and movements are always present for us to pay attention to and engage with wonder, love, and respect. We are kin with the land. All of life-including these photos and this language-is part of the land, living as pulsing heartbeats of creation.
May the pairing and sharing of these land images with poetry in the Western Abenaki language inspire others to grow their kinship and mutual alignment with the land. And may they contribute towards keeping the language alive and restoring Indigenous ways of knowing to better care for these lands we call home.
Newonul Temikotokil Waponahkiyik (Four Seasons of the WAPONAKI)
Wabanaki Coloring Book by Mihku Paul, illustrations by Isabella-Zoe Ciolfi
Mihku Paul (born 1958) is a First Nations poet, visual artist, storyteller, and activist. She was born into the Maliseet Nation and she is a member of Kingsclear First Nation in New Brunswick, Canada. Mihku Paul currently resides in Portland, Maine where she teaches creative writing at the Maine Women Writers Collection at the University of New England.
Isabella-Zoe Ciolfi is an independent illustrator based in Southern Wabanaki Territory. Isabella-Zoe is passionate about creating interactive educational materials.
Newonul Temikotokil Waponahkiyik (Four Seasons of the WAPONAKI) is a coloring book that explores the four seasons and offers activities to explore, observe, and experience.
Excerpt from Newonul Temikotokil Waponahkiyik:
Before colonization, our Indigenous languages were spoken words. We have histories of petroglyphs, and birch bark scrolls as a written language of pictures. The languages of the Wabanaki can be very similar in spelling but each tribe has its own sound systems. Our written language was created by colonists in an effort to represent those sounds. Because of this, the written-word representations in this coloring book may beoff a letter or two depending on how they were interpreted by the linguists who created our written languages. Please excuse the liberties taken by the authors to bring the best translation that they know. - To all the people of the Dawnland.