Journal of a Travelling Girl

By Nadine Neema

Illustrations by Archie Beaverho

About The Book

Journal of a Travelling Girl is a historical fiction novel for 9-12 year olds. It’s a coming of age story of a young girl who goes on the annual Tłįchǫ canoe trip retracing the trails of their ancestors on their way to the 2005 celebrations for the effective date of the Tłįchǫ Agreement. The book follows three best friends and their adventures on the journey. The teachings mainly come from one of the girl’s grandparents through stories they share around the fire about their traditional way of life, Treaty 11 and the subsequent self-government agreement. The old-time stories were shared with Neema by elders of Wekweètì between 1999 and 2002. Themes of the book include friendship, community, grief/loss, healing, personal growth and connection to the natural world.

Journal of a Travelling Girl was published in October 2020 by Wandering Fox / Heritage House in Canada and Orca Books in the USA and went to second print in March 2021. The audiobook was released in September 2022 by Penguin Random House Canada. The book was shortlisted for three awards – two Canadian Children’s Book Centre awards, namely the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction, and the Jean Little First-Novel Award, and the Quebec Writer’s Federation Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children’s and Young Literature. It was also longlisted for the First Nation Communities Read Award. The audiobook was Booklist’s Top of the List Editor’s Choice for 2022 youth audio. The audiobook contains sounds recorded by Neema while living in Wekweètì and music by the Chief Jimmy Bruneau School Drummers.

About Author

Nadine Neema

Born in Montreal of Lebanese descent, Nadine Neema is an award-winning multi-disciplinary artist. She has four albums of songs and spoken word poetry. She has toured internationally opening for artists such as Joe Cocker & Elton John, and was mentored by Leonard Cohen, who co-produced her 2nd album. Neema began working in Wekweètì, NWT in 1999, first as a community manager, then assisting with land claims negotiations under Chief Negotiator John B. Zoe. She has maintained a strong bond with the community through workshops, photography projects, and canoe trips. Neema leads creativity, songwriting and storytelling workshops to empower youth to find their own voice.
For more about Neema click here.

About the illustrator

Archie Beaverho

Archie Beaverho is an accomplished painter, illustrator, and cartoonist whose understanding of his Tłįcho Dene culture is reflected in his work. He creates paintings of spiritual activities of his people, like drum dancing, hand games, and hunting He lives in Behchokò, Northwest Territories.

GALLERY

Videos

Testimonials

"Journal of a Travelling Girl serves as an introduction to modern land claim and self-government negotiations for a young audience through the lens of a narrator their own age. Equally important, it offers readers insight into a momentous part of both Tłįchǫ and Canadian history."

“As a person born and raised right on the land, Journal of a Travelling Girl rings as true to me as the blue skies and open land Nadine Neema so lovingly recounts. Using her truth-filled voice, she brings forth and carries her own impressions of how it is for the youth to return to, and eventually take to, their traditional lands, understood as only the Elders and Tłı̨chǫ ancestors have from time immemorial.”

“What an absolute treasure for the Tłı̨chǫ Nation and for the world. Journal of a Travelling Girl deserves to be in every northern classroom. Mahsi cho, Nadine Neema, for writing this.”

“A story based on a real experience, told through a lens of youthfulness following an ancient trail, a renewing of kinship to the landscape, an annual ceremony honed by many generations.”

"Journal of a Travelling Girl is an absolutely wonderful and timely book that will appeal to girls and boys of any race, colour, or creed. During this time of reconciliation it is necessary for all young people to learn and embrace the ways of our Indigenous ancestors. This book will do that!"

“A truly engaging story of a young girl’s coming of age as she embarks on a reluctant canoe trip with her friends and their families… Journal of a Travelling Girl takes readers on a culturally enlightening journey filled with adventure and discovery…bringing out the beauty of the North and the Tłı̨chǫ culture… This book should be in every school library.”

“Journal of a Travelling Girl gives young readers the chance to imagine themselves on a journey as they read about it through the main character… Neema clearly conveys the modes of teaching afforded by the journey and the community’s Elders, as well as the historic moment the Tłı̨chǫ Agreement for self-government and land ownership came into effect… The author shares from a place of knowledge, in deep collaboration with the First Nation concerned… This is an important story, not just for those whose lives it touches directly, but for all in Canada.”

"Readers interested in Tłıcho culture or Canadian history will find much to appreciate."

“Journal of a Travelling Girl is a story filled with Tłı̨chǫ traditions, customs, beliefs, and ways of being. It is a wonderful account, told through the eyes of a young girl, of our people’s ways of doing things today, guided by our strong history. The experience of travelling the Trails of Our Ancestors changes Jules, as it has many others before her, and leaves a lasting, profound impression of accomplishment, personal growth, and much hope for the future.”

“What a delightful read. Jules is a young girl from the south, coming of age, learning respect and responsibility, growing stronger in every way. Her relationships with the Tłı̨chǫ People, the sky, the land, the waters, and all things living and nonliving give a glimpse of the gentle but insistent powers she encounters. With a foreword by a respected Elder from the community, Joseph Judas, the reader enters Jules’s world feeling confident that here are lessons for all who strive to be in good relation with each other in this contemporary and complex world.”

“Journal of a Travelling Girl is not only about people who generously welcome a young girl to share in a special journey, but it introduces readers to an important moment of history.”

“Nadine Neema honours the customs and culture of the Wekweètì community in this exquisitely told story about finding strength, healing, and acceptance. The vivid sensory details allow the reader to touch, taste, and feel the unique aspects of this journey to Behchoko. This is a must read for young readers!”

Teacher’s Guide

Questions for students

Warm up - Look at Tłįchǫ Lands on the map. Prompt students to share what they know about life / communities in the North. How many have participated in outdoor activities like canoeing, portaging etc

The Sounds Of The Dogrib/Tłįchǫ Language https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu3Nzl2ieEw.

Also listen to the audio pronunciation of Tłįchǫ words tab.

Oh Wekweètì – a song the author wrote with Tłįchǫ students and video of their community

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svP8x3hx9Xo

Questions for the students:

The cover:

Before you start reading, look at the cover. What information can you find?
Can you find a second title inside the book? What is it?
Name the chief of the Wekweètì community while the author was working there.
What do you think this book will be about?

Days 1 and 2

What is the name and nickname of the little girl writing the story?
What is the name of the community where she lives? What is the name of the closest city?
Who was Uncle Joe and what happened to him?
How old is the main character and who are her two best friends?
Where are they heading during their canoe trip and why are they going?
Compare and contrast your life now with Wekweètì's.
What do you do when you are feeling very sad? Can you relate to how Jules is feeling?
Communities and cultures around the world have words that are special to them. Can you think of some you and your friends use? (E.g., "like", "awesome", "dope")
Can you think of examples in this story? (“ever”)
Why do the girls take the branch from the prophet's tree? What is the importance of this tree?
How do you think you'd feel going off on such an adventure without your parents?

Discuss loss, sadness, and mourning. Watch video https://youtu.be/5MQcF52OUH4 to help students visualize the landscape and people. Hand out Venn Diagram template for students to write differences/similarities between Tłįchǫ life and their life.

Days 3 and 4: Intro to Treaty 11

Draw five characters from the book.
Why was Jules anxious to start portaging?
How did grandma and Jules make a carpet to sit on in the tepee?
Who was Chef Bruneau and what was his vision?
What do you think of his vision and why?
Is a Treaty a good thing?
What do you think Chief Monfwi meant when he said, “As long as the sun rises, the river flows and the land does not move, we will not be restricted from our way of life”?
Why is Jules afraid of the big animal coming into her tent? What is the big animal? Would you be afraid?
Today, the Tłįchǫ win money if they win the hand games. In the old days, what did they win?

Video of hand games : https://youtu.be/AGLjBqLOPcE

Days 5 and 6:

What was the abandoned cabin the children found?
Why was Grandpa so angry with Jules? Do you think he was right? Explain.
Name three differences between how things were done in the old days and now in modern life.
Why is it important to know how things were done in the past? What do Jules and her friends learn about the old days?
What did Chef Bruneau mean about being strong like two people?
Ask your parents about a big change between their childhood life and yours. What do you think?

Days 7 and 8:

Preparation for a discussion about Treaty 11 and its replacement by the Tłįchǫ Agreement 2005. Here is some intro to Treaty reading: https://www.canadashistory.ca/education/kayak-in-the-classroom/treaties/treaties-educational-package and https://www.canadashistory.ca/education/classroom-resources/making-treaties

What did Jules learn from her dream?
What should you do when you see a bear? What did they do in the story?
How did Jules change or progress during her journey?

The Tłįchǫ Agreement is meant to honour and update Treaty 11, the last numbered treaty signed with Canada's First Nations in 1921. Based on what you've read:

Why is this Agreement so important to Canada?
What is a treaty?
What is a land claim agreement?
What is self-government?

Days 9 and 10:

Why was Grandma scared the first time she heard a snowmobile?
Why is the last island before heading to Behchoko so important in the history of the Tłįchǫ?
What are some of the emotions people are feeling during their arrival?
Why is this moment so important?
What is the meaning of the word “Mahsi”?
Who accompanied Jules spiritually on her journey - both by canoe and on her inner journey? Name five.
Did the branch help Jules? Explain your answer.
What do you think of the book so far? What do you think of the story, the characters, the writing style, etc.?

Days 11 and 14:

Drum dance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_V_59dlRUw

Tea dance https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=397647317463421

What is the meaning of the images in the Tłįchǫ government flag?
Why did Jules’ journal skip from Day 11 to Day 14? What was she doing?
What did the Tłįchǫ People put in the fire and why?
How did Jules choose to feed the fire?
What did this adventure inspire Jules to become?
At the end of the journey, how is the protagonist feeling about her canoe trip and the Tłįchǫ Nation?
Do you think there should be a sequel to this story? What ideas would you have?

Wrap Up Options

How does Jules change or grow during her trip? Name 3 events or moments from the journal that show a moment of growth or understanding.
Can you relate to this? Describe a moment from your life where you have changed or grown a lot.
What have you learned about the relationship between the Tłįchǫ and Canadian government? How do *you* fit in?

Glossary of Tłı̨chǫ words

Tłı̨chǫ – Dogrib (descendants of the Dene, an Athabaskan Indigenous People of the Northwest Territories.
Wekweètì – the smallest of the four Tłı̨chǫ communities. The place where Julia lives and from where the canoe trip begins.
Gamètì – the second smallest of the four Tłı̨chǫ communities
Whatì – the second biggest of the 4 Tłı̨chǫ communities
Behchokǫ̀ – biggest of the 4 Tłı̨chǫ communities – the place where they are paddling to for the effective date of the Tłı̨chǫ Agreement
mahsì – thank you
mahsì cho – thank you very much
dagawo – drum dance
orì – spruce
sèotı̨ - family

Audio pronunciation of Tłı̨chǫ words