A newly announced series of books is aiming to explore Dene culture in northern Saskatchewan.
Dene Strong: Stories from the Land of the Big Poplar is a planned book series in La Loche where the stories and words of high school students and community members will be compiled and released in a series of books exploring all facets of Dene history and culture.
These stories will be mainly written by the students at the Dene High School, however, anyone is welcome to contribute.
Project organizer, Mary-Anne Neal, says the goal is to create a lasting legacy for the community.
“We want to create a library of Dene role models that will go into the schools and homes throughout La Loche and that will create a legacy for years to come,” Neal told MBC News. “(Dene people) have made huge contributions to Canada over the years that have gone unrecognized. This is their opportunity to say what they know in their own authentic voice.”
Mary-Anne Neal is an independent educational consultant who has been involved with similar projects in the past. Neal helped launch the Dene Hero project; a series of books documenting the remote Sahtu region of the Northwest Territories.
Dene High School Community School Coordinator Shane Janvier saw Neal’s work with the Dene in the Sahtu Region and brought her in to help La Loche with a similar project of their own.
While Neal is in La Loche right now, she will be handing over the project to Janvier before returning at a later date to help compile the stories.
“I have high hopes for the students and the community members that they will come through with lots of stories and we can start putting everything together,” said Janvier.
The project will be collecting stories until November when the compilation, printing, and publication process will begin.
The first volume of Dene Strong is expected to be released in the Spring of 2022. Neal and Janvier are hoping for a big celebration when the release does occur.