Ishkode: A Story of Fire by Evan Larson (Author), Nisogaabokwe Melonee Montano (Author), and Moira (Miri) Villiard (Illustrator)
This review first appeared on Third Coast Review. Read the Third Coast Review version here.
Ishkode: A Story of Fire written by Evan Larson and Nisogaabokwe Melonee Montano and illustrated by Moira (Miri) Villiard is a strikingly illuminating story of a people’s relationship with the natural world including bapakwanagemagoog (red pine trees), aki (land), zaaga’igan (land), aandeg (crow), and ishkode (fire). Ishkode additionally shows how that relationship can be strengthened once more despite cruel actors having taken an axe to it.
Ishkode opens with a meaningful foreword from Robin Wall Kimmerer–a botanist and author often best-known for her 2013 book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. Kimmerer shares that yatsokejek gechwa mnedowiwat (storytellers) are sacred and that it is thanks to them that many people today know their cultures' stories that otherwise may have been lost.
One day, a grandmother picking blueberries with her granddaughter tells her the story of aandeg (crow) bringing ishkode (fire) to aki (land). Crow had to sacrifice his beautiful iridescent feather and his melodious voice to do this, but he did so to help the people. As the two prepare to leave, the grandmother knows it is time to spread ishkode once more. In doing so, she knows that new sprouts will be able to bloom and the aki will be rejuvenated.
Aanikoobijigan makes a record of this in her rings and patiently waits for the Anishinaabeg to return the following year.
But they did not come.
The next people who come speak in a language unfamiliar to Aanikoobijigan. These people take and take and take until only Aanikoobijigan (whose trunk was twisted with age and not useful for construction) remained. Aanikoobijigan continues on though, still writing the stories of the world around her in her rings.
Then, a young woman named Animikiimiikanikwe came across Aanikoobijigan. Animikiimiikanikwe sought to learn of her people’s past, their homelands, and how they had connected with their natural world. The meeting between Aanikoobijigan and Animikiimiikanikwe is profound. After some revelations, Animikiimiikanikwe finds a way for her community to rebuild their relationship with the aki (land), bapakwanagemagoog (red pine trees), and ishkode (fire).
Larson’s and Montano’s prose flows beautifully over the book’s pages. The story unfolds calmly and clearly while indirectly asking readers–yound and old–to consider their relationships with the world around them as well as with the histories and stories they’ve been told.
Overall, Ishkode is a picture book full of lessons. Some are direct–such as the Ojibwe vocabulary and pronunciation guide provided by Larson and Montano–others are implied and open a door for discussion–such as the destruction of the forest by white settlers–and still others are more open ended that encourage further explanation–such as how people today can heal relationships with nature.
While I have focused on the prose thus far, I would be remiss not to cover the work of illustrator Moira (Miri) Villiard. Villiard’s art is dynamic, multifaceted, and even stunning at times. As I read Ishkode, I was struck by how layered every image was. Villiard did not simply put ink to paper, she layered light, texture, and emotion on every page. The bapakwanagemagoog are more than trees—they are characters. Aandeg is not a mere bird—he is a folkloric hero. And the aki is not inanimate dirt—it is full of life and feels both its destruction and rebirth. While Villiard has imbued each image with meaning and emotion, her illustrations are still clear enough for young readers to take in.
Ishkode: A Story of Fire written by Evan Larson and Nisogaabokwe Melonee Montano and illustrated by Moira (Miri) Villiard is a wonderful picture book with layered meaning, lessons, and artwork.
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