Content area

Abstract

David A. Robertson's (Norway House Cree) children's novel The Barren Grounds (2020) intervenes in Canada's historical and ongoing child welfare systems' impacts on Indigenous children and youth. This article argues that Indigenous children's literature could significantly contribute to the ongoing efforts towards reconciliation in Canada. Robertson, as a specific example of this, presents a decolonized version of foster care that is rooted in Indigenous resurgence and grounded normativity. This representation encourages young readers to reconsider entrenched settler-colonial structures that, potentially, advance the projects of reconciliation and decolonization in Canada. Barren Grounds considers alternatives to current foster care structures that are predicated on Indigenous foster children and youth being directly reconnected with Indigenous peoples, lands, and knowledge systems. This reconnection transmits grounded normative ethics and builds Indigenous resurgence—both of which Robertson demonstrates are key in combating settler-induced disconnection and dispossession.

Details

1009240
Title
Kiskisitotaso, Don't Forget Yourself: Indigenous Resurgence in David A. Robertson's Barren Grounds
Publication title
Volume
14
Pages
7-25
Number of pages
21
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Section
Articles
Publisher
Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca
Place of publication
Huelva
Country of publication
Spain
Publication subject
e-ISSN
22541179
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
Document type
Journal Article
Publication history
 
 
Online publication date
2025-01-21
Milestone dates
2025-01-21 (Created); 2024-06-11 (Submitted); 2025-01-22 (Issued); 2025-01-22 (Modified); 2024-09-24 (Accepted)
Publication history
 
 
   First posting date
21 Jan 2025
ProQuest document ID
3282915167
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/kiskisitotaso-dont-forget-yourself-indigenous/docview/3282915167/se-2?accountid=208611
Copyright
© 2025. This work is licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.
Last updated
2026-01-07
Database
ProQuest One Academic