THE SECRET POCKET

Inspired by her mother’s experience as a child, Janicki (Nak’azdli Whut’en Nation) tells a story of Indigenous resilience and resourcefulness in the face of colonial violence.

Closely connected to her family, the 4-year-old protagonist spends time at the lakeside smokehouse of her ’Utsoo (Dakelh for grandmother) and ’Utsiyan (grandfather). That summer, a priest and a nun encroach upon their family gathering to pressure the narrator and her siblings into attending the Lejac residential school. Conditions at the school are abject, and the children resort to eating toothpaste. The only respites for the protagonist and her siblings are the summer breaks and winter holidays spent at home—requiring her ’Uba (father) to make a 12-hour journey to pick them up. To make it through arduous days of abuse and neglect, the clever child and her friends sew pockets into their petticoats, incorporating what they learned from their families’ beading practices and allowing them to smuggle food out of the kitchen to share with others and keep hope alive—“We sewed our survival into every stitch.” Victor’s (Coast Salish) soft, often understated images depict a heart-rending experience. Though the tale is emotionally fraught, young readers are left with an uplifting reminder about the power and resolve of Indigenous people: “We were geniuses. We are geniuses. We will always be geniuses.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A moving tribute to Native children’s survival in the residential school system.