Walking Together

Written by Elder Albert D. Marshall and Louise Zimanyi

Illustrated by Emily Kewageshig

Annick Press

978-1-77321-776-5

36 pp.

Ages 4-7

April 2023

Many will be undertaking Earth Day activities this weekend and next, whether picking up garbage, planting trees or setting up rain barrels. But Earth Day should be every day, as we look out for our planet, for its water, land and air, and its plants and animals. And Elder Albert D. Marshall and Louise Zimanyi promote a message of Two-Eyed Seeing in Walking Together so that perhaps we can see the big picture and ensure that caring for our world goes beyond a single day of environmental attention.

From Walking Together by Elder Albert D. Marshall and Louise Zimanyi, illus. by Emily Kewageshig

When we walk together in a good way...

...good things happen and that is the message that resonates throughout Walking Together. It's acknowledging the many gifts that Mother Earth shares. It's hearing the stories that come from the ancestors and paying attention to the song of the spring birds and the awakening of plants and animals who have lain seemingly dormant over winter. It's hearing nature as it talks, whether it's the deer or the beaver or the frog or the flowers. The teachings of Elder Albert D. Marshall of the Moose Clan of Eskasoni Mi'Kmaw Nation in Unama'ki-Cape Breton remind us that to see fully means to blend both the Indigenous lessons of the ancestors and the knowledge that comes from non-Indigenous ways. With Two-Eyed Seeing will come respect for the Land and Water, so that it may continue to sustain us.

We take only if there is enough.

We ask before we take

And we listen for the answer.

We share.

From Walking Together by Elder Albert D. Marshall and Louise Zimanyi, illus. by Emily Kewageshig

The message that Elder Albert D. Marshall offers with education professor Louise Zimanyi is that Mother Earth offers many gifts but gifts that must be respected, not just received. Walking Together is a thoughtful treatise in being grounded in the lessons of the past with those still to come for greater clarity and compassion. It's keeping both eyes and mind open to hearing and listening what lessons are being shared.

From Walking Together by Elder Albert D. Marshall and Louise Zimanyi, illus. by Emily Kewageshig

Those same important messages are conveyed in the Woodland art of Anishnaabe artist Emily Kewageshig who furthers the stories with her illustrations. The boldness of her lines and colours draw readers in to see, to witness, to walk together in landscapes through the seasons. There is a continuity of place and people that comes through Emily Kewageshig's illustrations, drawing from the past and moving to the future. She shows the sense of grounding that comes with connection and the life that comes with respect for Mother Earth.

 

Today, on a day when we celebrate Mother Earth and on every day on which she should be honoured, I recommend taking a walk under the guidance of Elder Albert D. Marshall, Louise Zimanyi and Emily Kewageshig as they remind us how to see best.

🌎 🌎 🌎 🌎 🌎

For teachers, there is a downloadable lesson plan at https://www.annickpress.com/content/download/69286/919542/version/1/file/Walking+Together+Lesson+Plan.pdf