In the middle of the continent, where waterways and rivers gather in immense lakes, many different peoples have met, lived, and thrived. Travel back through the millennia and forward to the present day to gain a dynamic picture of a territory interconnected through words, ideas, and experiences.

From one page to the next, readers will discover writings from historically significant figures, literary works by well-known writers, nonfiction and political pieces by Indigenous leaders, contributions by storytellers and Knowledge Keepers from far-reaching Manitoba communities, as well as new and vibrant voices that express contemporary Indigenous experiences.

Beginning with traditional writing systems, Manitowapow shares diverse Indigenous perspectives and histories, from the late 1700s through to the present day in what is now Manitoba.

Created in the spirit of the Anishinaabe concept debwe—to speak the truth—The Debwe Series is a collection of exceptional Indigenous writing from across Canada. Manitowapow, a one-of-a-kind anthology, is the first book in The Debwe Series.

Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair is Anishinaabe, originally from St. Peter's (Little Peguis) Indian Settlement. He is an assistant professor in the departments of English and Native Studies at the University of Manitoba. His essays, articles, and short stories have appeared in books and journals throughout Turtle Island. In 2009, he co-edited (with Renate Eigenbrod) a double issue of The Canadian Journal of Native Studies (#29; 1 & 2) and was a featured author in The Exile Book of Native Canadian Fiction and Drama, edited by Daniel David Moses (2011). His upcoming book Manitowapow: Aboriginal Writings from the Land of Water (co-edited with Warren Cariou) is an anthology of Manitoba Aboriginal writing from the past three centuries (Portage & Main Press). Another, Centering Anishinaabeg Studies (co-edited with Jill Doerfler and Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark), is a collection of critical and creative works on Anishinaabeg story (Michigan State University Press). A former high-school drama and language arts teacher, Niigaan has authored a number of teachers' guides for Portage & Main Press. He currently lives in Winnipeg, where he is completing his PhD in Anishinaabeg literatures and traditional expression.

Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair's profile page

Warren Cariou was born in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, into a family of mixed Métis and European heritage. He has written many articles about Canadian Aboriginal literature, especially on Métis culture and storytelling, and he has published two books: a collection of novellas, The Exalted Company of Roadside Martyrs (1999) and a memoir/cultural history, Lake of the Prairies: A Story of Belonging (2002). He has also co-directed and co-produced two films about Aboriginal people in western Canada’s oil sands region: Overburden and Land of Oil and Water. Cariou has won and been nominated for numerous awards. His most acclaimed work to date, Lake of the Prairies, won the Drainie-Taylor Biography Prize in 2002 and was shortlisted for the Charles Taylor Prize for literary nonfiction in 2004. His films have screened at many national and international film festivals, including Hot Docs, ImagineNative, and the San Francisco American Indian Film Festival. Cariou has also served as editor for several books, including an anthology of Aboriginal literature, W’daub Awae: Speaking True (2010), and he is the fiction co-editor of Prairie Fire. Cariou is a Canada Research Chair in Narrative, Community and Indigenous Cultures at the University of Manitoba, where he also directs the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture.

Warren Cariou's profile page

Beatrice Mosionier (formerly Culleton) was born in St. Boniface, Manitoba. The youngest of four children, she grew up in foster homes. Following the second suicide in her family, she decided to write a novel. First published in 1983, In Search of April Raintree has become a Canadian Classic.Mosionier's second novel is In the Shadow of Evil, now a re-edited version. A psychological thriller with many plot twists, it tells the story of a Metis woman, Christine, and of her experiences of prejudice, sexual abuse and foster homes in Canada. Her story is juxtaposed by the life struggles of a family of wolves at the fictional Shadow Lake. As with much of her works, this novel focuses on themes of self-forgiveness, power, healing, and how one must deal with the past before moving forward effectively.She has also written children's books, including Unusual Friendships: A Little Black Cat and a Little White Rat. Her most recent work is Come Walk with Me: A Memoir. Beatrice lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Beatrice Mosionier's profile page

Rich with prose, poetry, and historical events, [this book would be] invaluable in Native studies, literature, and history courses, as well as for the general reader.

Beatrice Mosionier

These are voices that need to be heard and read. These are the foundations of our culture, foundations which have grown from generation to generation into the imagination and intellect of today. Of the today we will share.

John Ralston Saul

Manitowapow is a must-read, not only for all of Manitobans, but for all Canadians. It brings to life the history and experiences of one of the most beautiful places in the world through images, words, and stories of people who draw their lives from the land and water here. Our home is a storied place. This book tells this story, completing a chapter of history rarely told in books and classrooms.

Phil Fontaine