Buffalo Rubbing Stone book by Mary Harelkin Bishop
Saskatoon author and educator Mary Harelkin Bishop wrote Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone with the hope that it would give readers of all ages a better idea of the concept of reconciliation - a path of respectfulness between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada.
It has been gratifying to see the book receive awards at the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards and Hollywood Book Awards, but the greatest gifts have come when students and teachers send messages about what they learned from reading this book.
Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone tells the story of Danny, who lives on a family farm homesteaded by his great-great-grandparents. When his Grade 6 teacher assigns a Canadian heritage project in which students must write about their family histories, Danny is paired with the troublesome Zach, whom he has been able to avoid until now. Danny finds out that his great-great-grandmother’s journal talks of breaking the land and building and living in a sod house. She also tells of how the First Nations people in the area helped her and how she helped them after the buffalo disappeared and food became scarce. The more Danny digs into his family’s history, the more he realizes that his and Zach’s pasts are complicated and connected.
A Grade 5/6 classroom in Saskatoon recently read Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone with a Literature Circles learning format. In images sent via a PowerPoint slideshow, the teacher shared with us what the class learned about this important book:
Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone has been called “a must-read book for all youth” and one that will help teachers become better teachers, kids become better friends, parents become better parents, and neighbours become better neighbours.
Mary Harelkin Bishop is a retired teacher who spent much of her career working in core neighbourhood schools. She has also been a teacher-librarian and an educational/instructional consultant with Saskatoon Tribal Council and other Band Councils in Saskatchewan.
Mistasiniy: Buffalo Rubbing Stone is available from www.driverworks.ca. Schools and libraries should contact DriverWorks Ink directly for discounts on orders.
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