Kirjahaku

The frequency and severity of crime in Canada has been declining, however, the criminalization of Indigenous women is on the rise. How to account for this disparity? With sharp intelligence, inherent wisdom, and the grit of an investigative journalist, Annette Vermette offers new perspectives to academics and the general population regarding the overrepresentation of Indigenous women in prison in Canada. Statistically, Indigenous women are arrested more frequently than those in other demographics, and their prison sentences tend to be longer, indicating that discrimination and colonialism are alive and well in Canada, despite reconciliation efforts. Research shows that neither the offenders nor their communities-nor the victims of crime, for that matter-obtain positive outcomes or necessary healing as a result of incarceration. Vermette investigates the possible political and economic motivators responsible for these skewed rates of incarceration and conceptualizes a new paradigm for justice in Canada using Two-Eyed Seeing-an approach in which one sees from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledge, and from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledge. The passion, wisdom, and expertise required to generate vital social change already exists. The path is before us. We only need to open our eyes.

The frequency and severity of crime in Canada has been declining, however, the criminalization of Indigenous women is on the rise. How to account for this disparity? With sharp intelligence, inherent wisdom, and the grit of an investigative journalist, Annette Vermette offers new perspectives to academics and the general population regarding the overrepresentation of Indigenous women in prison in Canada. Statistically, Indigenous women are arrested more frequently than those in other demographics, and their prison sentences tend to be longer, indicating that discrimination and colonialism are alive and well in Canada, despite reconciliation efforts. Research shows that neither the offenders nor their communities-nor the victims of crime, for that matter-obtain positive outcomes or necessary healing as a result of incarceration. Vermette investigates the possible political and economic motivators responsible for these skewed rates of incarceration and conceptualizes a new paradigm for justice in Canada using Two-Eyed Seeing-an approach in which one sees from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledge, and from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledge. The passion, wisdom, and expertise required to generate vital social change already exists. The path is before us. We only need to open our eyes.

Maya couldn't quite put into words the feelings she was experiencing as she and her father walked along the tree edge looking for berries and nutrients from the plants. Was it the fact that she had missed the soft, moist earth beneath her feet? She considered that the Universe was guiding her towards a renewed way of living. Twenty-seven-year-old Maya has been released from prison for the third time since she was seventeen, and this time she knows things have got to change. From her family cabin in the woods of Northern Ontario, she starts to process and heal from past wounds. For the first time in her life, she becomes aware of the systemic injustices that lead to the criminalization and imprisonment of Indigenous women like herself, and to know that she is not alone is at once comforting and deeply troubling. She is introduced to community members who assist her on her healing journey; she takes an interest in her cousin's legal woes, but in the wake of so much trauma, Maya becomes fearful. Curious rustlings play at the edges of her consciousness, and she can't shake the feeling that she is being watched, that helping other women may come at a price. An ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a profound meditation on trauma, ancestral wisdom, familial bonds, and empowerment in the face of adversity, Dragonfly reminds us of all the lessons nature and history can teach us. Most importantly, Vermette assures us that on the other side of tremendous suffering, there is always a renewed way of living.

Maya couldn't quite put into words the feelings she was experiencing as she and her father walked along the tree edge looking for berries and nutrients from the plants. Was it the fact that she had missed the soft, moist earth beneath her feet? She considered that the Universe was guiding her towards a renewed way of living. Twenty-seven-year-old Maya has been released from prison for the third time since she was seventeen, and this time she knows things have got to change. From her family cabin in the woods of Northern Ontario, she starts to process and heal from past wounds. For the first time in her life, she becomes aware of the systemic injustices that lead to the criminalization and imprisonment of Indigenous women like herself, and to know that she is not alone is at once comforting and deeply troubling. She is introduced to community members who assist her on her healing journey; she takes an interest in her cousin's legal woes, but in the wake of so much trauma, Maya becomes fearful. Curious rustlings play at the edges of her consciousness, and she can't shake the feeling that she is being watched, that helping other women may come at a price. An ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a profound meditation on trauma, ancestral wisdom, familial bonds, and empowerment in the face of adversity, Dragonfly reminds us of all the lessons nature and history can teach us. Most importantly, Vermette assures us that on the other side of tremendous suffering, there is always a renewed way of living.

Fifteen-year-old Maya makes every effort to take good care of her younger siblings while her mother works away from home. But when her younger brother Jackson is injured on her watch, Maya finds herself at a loss, lacking the guidance of the adults in her life. A series of devastating, life-altering events ensue, events that Maya and her family members must all begin to heal from. Life experience and the wisdom of their Elders has taught Maya's parents, Nancy and Russell, that it is through difficulty and failure that we learn, and that the grief journey is a process. But Maya is young and vulnerable, mired in grief, guilt, and anger, despite her parents' attempts to help her. When she starts to engage with some troubled youth in the community, Nancy and Russell fear the worst.Nonetheless, there is a reason Maya was given the spirit name "Dragonfly" at birth. Dragonflies gain colour on their wings as they mature. It doesn't happen overnight, and it certainly doesn't happen without pain and suffering. Tragic, meditative, tender, and wise, The Colour of Dragonfly Wings tells the beginning of a young woman's journey to earn her colours.

Fifteen-year-old Maya makes every effort to take good care of her younger siblings while her mother works away from home. But when her younger brother Jackson is injured on her watch, Maya finds herself at a loss, lacking the guidance of the adults in her life. A series of devastating, life-altering events ensue, events that Maya and her family members must all begin to heal from. Life experience and the wisdom of their Elders has taught Maya's parents, Nancy and Russell, that it is through difficulty and failure that we learn, and that the grief journey is a process. But Maya is young and vulnerable, mired in grief, guilt, and anger, despite her parents' attempts to help her. When she starts to engage with some troubled youth in the community, Nancy and Russell fear the worst.Nonetheless, there is a reason Maya was given the spirit name "Dragonfly" at birth. Dragonflies gain colour on their wings as they mature. It doesn't happen overnight, and it certainly doesn't happen without pain and suffering. Tragic, meditative, tender, and wise, The Colour of Dragonfly Wings tells the beginning of a young woman's journey to earn her colours.