Taipsumane : A Collection of Labrador Stories

Nain, Labrador : Torngasok Cultural Centre, 1984. Copyright date given as 1983, but all catalogue data indicates that this 1984 priting is the first edition. Minor edgewear and light rubbing of covers, interior fine. Almost impossible to find, this book is written in English and Inuktitut and is brightly illustrated with the author's vibrant art. According to Wikipedia:"In 1984, 45 of Kalleo's drawings were published in the book Taipsumane: A Collection of Labrador Stories.[4] Taipsumane is an Inuktitut word meaning "Them Days," and the book includes Kalleo's descriptions of her childhood life in the 1920s and 30s. With titles such as Festive Dress, Traditional Foods, The Spring Camp, Unequal Trading, and Women as Trappers, the carefully labelled drawings illustrate traditional ways of gathering food and seasonal activities. Reviewer Roberta Buchanan noted that "Kalleo's vision is essentially elegiac, mourning for a past way of life and past values."[4] The text appears in Inuktitut syllabics, Moravian Inuktitut (using the English alphabet), and English.[1] Taipsumane has been integrated into the Newfoundland and Labrador school curriculum, and has been described as "a vital document for the transmission of Inuit cultural knowledge among youth who grew up in a post-contact era."[ A 2018 Globe and Mail article notes that "These drawings, along with the oral history she recorded for each image, are considered one of the best descriptions of transitional Labrador Inuit life during the mid-20th century" . First Edition. Soft Cover. Very Good.