Pemmican Wars

by Katherena Vermette, Scott B. Henderson (Illustrator), Donovan Yaciuk (Illustrator)

Overview

Echo Desjardins, a 13-year-old Métis girl adjusting to a new home and school, is struggling with loneliness while separated from her mother. Then an ordinary day in Mr. Bee’s history class turns extraordinary, and Echo’s life will never be the same. During Mr. Bee’s lecture, Echo finds herself transported to another time and place—a bison hunt on the Saskatchewan prairie—and back again to the present. In the following weeks, Echo slips back and forth in time. She visits a Métis camp, travels the old fur-trade routes, and experiences the perilous and bygone era of the Pemmican Wars.

Pemmican Wars is the first graphic novel in a new series, A Girl Called Echo, by Governor General Award–winning writer, and author of Highwater Press’ The Seven Teaching Stories, Katherena Vermette.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781553796787
Publisher:	Portage & Main Press
Publication date:	03/01/2018
Series:	A Girl Called Echo , #1
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	142,763
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

katherena vermette (she/her/hers) is a Red River Métis (Michif) writer from Treaty 1 territory, the heart of the Métis Nation, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

In 2013, her first book, North End Love Songs (The Muses’ Company) won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry. Since then, her work has garnered awards and critical accolades across genres. Her novels The Break (House of Anansi) and The Strangers (Hamish Hamilton) were both national best sellers and won multiple literary awards.

She is the author of numerous other bestselling titles, including the A Girl Called Echo series (HighWater Press) and the Seven Teachings Stories series (HighWater Press).

Scott B. Henderson (he/him) is a freelance illustrator, whose reputation for cultural sensitivity and an openness to listen and learn has garnered a large body of work in collaboration with Indigenous and LGBTQIA+ communities. His work spans several critically acclaimed graphic novels, including 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga (Indigenous history & Residential Schools); A Girl Called Echo series (Métis history); A Blanket of Butterflies (2016 Eisner Nomination); a short story in Marvel Voices: Pride #1 (2022); and the post-apocalypse graphic novel, Last Breeds (fall 2024). Scott is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. He resides in Winnipeg with his partner.

Since 1998, Donovan Yaciuk (he/him/his) has coloured books published by Marvel, DC, Dark Horse comics, and HighWater Press including the A Girl Called Echo and The Reckoner Rises series, as well as select stories in This Place: 150 Years Retold. Donovan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the University of Manitoba and began his career as a part of the legendary, now-defunct Digital Chameleon colouring studio. He lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with his wife and two daughters.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

QU'APPELLE VALLEY, NORTH-WEST TERRITORY (NOW SASKATCHEWAN), 1814.

WHAT THE ...?

ECHO?

HUH?

THE BELL JUST RANG.

IT'S TIME TO GO TO YOUR NEXT CLASS.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR NEXT CLASS IS?

THINK SO.

MX. FRANCOIS FOR ENGLISH.

THEY'RE GREAT!

JUST GO DOWN THE STAIRS, TURN LEFT.

LOOK FOR THE FLAGS.

'KAY.

THANKS.

11:05 A.M.

HEH HEH ...

I KNOW!

12:10 P.M.

1:40 P.M.

2:30 P.M.

3:35 P.M.

HI.

HOW WAS YOUR FIRST DAY

FINE.

ECHO ...

THE NEXT DAY ...

HOW WAS SCHOOL?

FINE.

HELLO, BONJOUR.

YOU LOOK LOST.

WHERE AM I?

THIS IS OUR CAMP.

I AM MARIE.

THAT IS THE SOURIS RIVER OVER THERE.

THIS IS WHERE YOU LIVE? IN TIPIS?

NO, WE'RE METIS.

THIS IS OUR HUNTING CAMP. WHEN WE ARE DONE WE WILL TRAVEL TO THE FORT AND TO OUR HOME.

WHAT ARE THEY DOING?

MAKING PEMMICAN.

WHAT'S PEMMICAN?

IT'S FOOD.

THERE'S SO MUCH!

WE MAKE IT TO TRADE FOR GOODS, FOR THE WINTER.

ALL OF THIS IS GOING UP NORTH VERY SOON.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Pemmican Wars"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Katherena Vermette.
Excerpted by permission of Highwater Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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What People are Saying About This

THIS Magazine - Alicia Elliott

The carefully constructed panels and sparse, meaningful dialogue skillfully remind us the past is never truly in the past but constantly living with us in the present. A Girl Called Echo is a series to watch.

Editorial Reviews

05/07/2018
Despite her low expectations for the first day of school, Echo did not think it would involve having flashbacks to Manitoba in the 19th century. But in history class, while learning about the Métis, the First Nations tribe from which she is descended, she finds herself on the Saskatchewan prairie witnessing a bison hunt. Each day, she is transported to the time of the Pemmican Wars between Europeans and the Métis, and curiosity about her own ancestry leads her to visit her mother in rehab. This brief first entry in the graphic novel series A Girl Called Echo shows much but says little, much like its protagonist: Echo barely has 20 lines of dialogue, and many of those are one-word responses. Instead, the volume begs to be revisited for its reliance on visual clues. Vermette’s scope is admirable as the story broadens from one of teenage social isolation to that of greater disenfranchisement and the search for selfhood. Ages 14–18. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Vermette expertly juxtaposes the isolation of an aboriginal teen in the current day with the emphasis on working together in traditional Métis communities. Henderson’s artwork and Yaciuk’s colours help to emphasize the differences between the past and present, as gorgeous prairie panoramas in vibrant hues contrast with crowded, dingy hallways and buses. [...] This reviewer is eagerly awaiting the second volume of the series.

National Reading Campaign - Roseanne Gauthier

The carefully constructed panels and sparse, meaningful dialogue skillfully remind us the past is never truly in the past but constantly living with us in the present. A Girl Called Echo is a series to watch.

THIS Magazine - Alicia Elliott

Strong use of comics technique, a unique examination of a fascinating time of history, and the thoughtful narration by an aboriginal teen make this a must-read and a strong classroom or library choice.

VOYA Magazine - Meghann Meeusen

Recognition is due Katherena Vermette’s collaborators on Echo – illustrator Scott B. Henderson and color artist Donovan Yaciuk. Because Echo speaks so seldom, it’s on the illustrations to convey key details about her life. And they do so with subtlety and grace! 
 

Jean Mendozan Indians in Children's Literature

Henderson’s realistic art and perfect pacing, particularly in the pages of wordless panels depicting Echo’s daily routine, highlight her silent nature and hint at the source of her unspoken sadness. Solitary teens are likely to strongly identify with Echo and look forward to more of her adventures.

Booklist

...feelings of alienation, of loneliness, of not belonging, either at home or at school, are experienced by both genders and those teens – male or female - who eat their lunch alone and wander the halls without friends will understand Echo's plight. Recommended.

CM Magazine - Joanne Peters

Recognition is due Katherena Vermette’s collaborators on Echo – illustrator Scott B. Henderson and color artist Donovan Yaciuk. Because Echo speaks so seldom, it’s on the illustrations to convey key details about her life. And they do so with subtlety and grace! 
 

American Indians in Children's Literature - Jean Mendoza

The carefully constructed panels and sparse, meaningful dialogue skillfully remind us the past is never truly in the past but constantly living with us in the present. A Girl Called Echo is a series to watch.
- Alicia Elliott, THIS Magazine

From the Publisher

Henderson’s realistic art and perfect pacing, particularly in the pages of wordless panels depicting Echo’s daily routine, highlight her silent nature and hint at the source of her unspoken sadness. Solitary teens are likely to strongly identify with Echo and look forward to more of her adventures.

Booklist

03/01/2018
Gr 6–10—Echo is a Métis teen who finds herself drawn into her ancestors' past in the middle of a history lecture. A lonely outsider in her school and a newcomer in a group home, she's transported back in time to the events surrounding the Canadian Pemmican Wars. Her world is populated by her indigenous ancestors, a queer teacher, and a housemate who is differently abled. Gorgeously rendered panels convey Echo's isolation in the real world and comfort in the past. The work is light on text, and its brevity makes it feel more like plot exposition than a fully fleshed out novel. The end matter contains a time line, a recipe for pemmican, and the lyrics of a song written by the Métis poet and songwriter Pierre Falcon. VERDICT A solid selection for introducing a historical event in an accessible format.—Jodeana Kruse, R.A. Long High School, Longview, WA

School Library Journal

2018-02-28
In this YA graphic novel, an alienated Métis girl learns about her people's Canadian history.Métis teenager Echo Desjardins finds herself living in a home away from her mother, attending a new school, and feeling completely lonely as a result. She daydreams in class and wanders the halls listening to a playlist of her mother's old CDs. At home, she shuts herself up in her room. But when her history teacher begins to lecture about the Pemmican Wars of early 1800s Saskatchewan, Echo finds herself swept back to that time. She sees the Métis people following the bison with their mobile hunting camp, turning the animals' meat into pemmican, which they sell to the Northwest Company in order to buy supplies for the winter. Echo meets a young girl named Marie, who introduces Echo to the rhythms of Métis life. She finally understands what her Métis heritage actually means. But the joys are short-lived, as conflicts between the Métis and their rivals in the Hudson Bay Company come to a bloody head. The tragic history of her people will help explain the difficulties of the Métis in Echo's own time, including those of her mother and the teen herself. Accompanied by dazzling art by Henderson (A Blanket of Butterflies, 2017, etc.) and colorist Yaciuk (Fire Starters, 2016, etc.), this tale is a brilliant bit of time travel. Readers are swept back to 19th-century Saskatchewan as fully as Echo herself. Vermette's (The Break, 2017, etc.) dialogue is sparse, offering a mostly visual, deeply contemplative juxtaposition of the present and the past. Echo's eventual encounter with her mother (whose fate has been kept from readers up to that point) offers a powerful moment of connection that is both unexpected and affecting. "Are you…proud to be Métis?" Echo asks her, forcing her mother to admit, sheepishly: "I don't really know much about it." With this series opener, the author provides a bit more insight into what that means.A sparse, beautifully drawn story about a teen discovering her heritage.

Kirkus Reviews