In many native cultures, the young are trained and taught new traditions and skills by the appropriate knowledge and skill keepers. To formalize a new position gained or earned, an initiation ceremony is conducted for the new youth to take their place within the circle of knowledge and skill keepers. Honoring this spirit, and selected by native writing knowledge and skill keepers such as Lee Maracle, Thomas King, Tomson Highway and Marilyn Dumont, Initiations is a gathering of young native writers who have been successful in earning a place in this collective work. Their stories focus on historical events that were personal or of national significance and date as far back as a traditional legend or as recent as the Caledonia land dispute.

Marilyn Dumont is the author of four collections of poems: A Really Good Brown Girl (winner of the 1997 Gerald Lampert Award), green girl dreams Mountains (winner of the Writer’s Guild of Alberta’s 2001 Stephan G. Stephansson Award), That Tongued Belonging (winner of the 2007 McNally Robinson Aboriginal Poetry Book of the Year and Aboriginal Book of the Year Award) and The Pemmican Eaters (published in 2015 by ECW Press). Marilyn has been Writer-in-Residence at the Edmonton Public Library and in numerous universities across Canada. In addition, she has been faculty at the Banff Centre for the Arts’ Writing with Style and Wired Writing programs, as well as an advisor and mentor in their Indigenous Writers’ Program. She serves as a board member on The Public Lending Rights Commission of Canada, and freelances for a living.

Marilyn Dumont's profile page

Initiations: A Selection of Young Native Writings

In many Aboriginal cultures, the elders teach the young the ancient traditions and skills. An initiation ceremony formalized the new positions gained or earned, so that the youth may take their place within the circle of wisdom and tradition. Honouring this spirit, Initiations is a collection of twenty-one stories by young Aboriginal writers who have earned a place in the circle. These are young voices telling their own stories as well as the stories of their grandparents. The book offers a model for all students of any cultural background to write their own stories.

Award-winning Dumont is a Canadian poet of Cree/Métis descent.

Caution: Several stories contain references to physical abuse, rape and fighting. Includes mild swearing.

Initiations: A Selection of Young Native Writings

In many Aboriginal cultures, the elders teach the young the ancient traditions and skills. An initiation ceremony formalized the new positions gained or earned, so that the youth may take their place within the circle of wisdom and tradition. Honouring this spirit, Initiations is a collection of twenty-one stories by young Aboriginal writers who have earned a place in the circle. These are young voices telling their own stories as well as the stories of their grandparents. Their stories speak of survival and life from their perspective. The book offers a model for all students of any cultural background to write their own stories.

Award-winning Dumont is a Canadian poet of Cree/Métis descent.

Caution: Several stories contain references to physical abuse, rape and fighting. Includes mild swearing.