HEART BERRY BLING

A young Anishinaabe girl learns about traditional beading and First Nations history.

When Maggie visits Granny in the city, the two decide to create a pair of beaded strawberry earrings together. Patiently, Granny shepherds Maggie through the intricate process: waxing the threads, threading the needles, laying beads, and stitching them on stiff fabric. Her guidance doesn’t end there: When Maggie pricks her finger and loses confidence, Granny encourages her to persevere and practice. As their strawberries come to life with glittering beads, Granny describes the lessons that strawberries, or heart berries, have to offer: the idea of interconnection and the importance of caring for self and others even in adversity. With the same care with which Maggie and Granny bead their earrings, Dupuis (Nipissing First Nation) deftly weaves important elements of Indigenous history into this gentle story—specifically, how the Indian Act, passed in Canada in 1876, stripped women of their First Nations status if they married non-Indigenous men. By emphasizing the struggles of First Nations women to regain their status (a fight still being waged today for some), Dupuis contextualizes the tradition of Native beadworking as both a cultural pillar and an act of political resilience. With warmth and affection, Campbell’s painterly images highlight Maggie and Granny’s tender bond. A moving author’s note details Dupuis’ own family’s experience under the Indian Act. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This story sparkles as powerfully as the Anishinaabe beadworking tradition it pays tribute to.