‘We made it through the night’: New Secwépemc children’s book teaches about grief and loss

A new children’s book by author Stanley (T’ult) Daniels of Tsq̓éscen̓ First Nation provides a cultural context around grief. 

Tscwinúcw-k: The Stars of the Secwépemc opens with a young boy named Malakai playing with his Kyé7e. She passes away soon after, and the book then follows the journey of Malakai as he deals with the loss — using his cultural teachings to remember his Kyé7e, who now lives in the Sky World with the other ancestors. 

Through stories, Malakai’s mother (Setse7), helps him understand the teaching of Tscwinúcw-k — meaning “we survived the night” — which serves as a reminder that ancestors continue to be there, guiding the people with love.

“So what Tscwinúcw-k is, is kind of like an artistic expression, making a connection between that Secwépemc worldview and a common saying that we use within our own language, Tscwinúcw-k,” Daniels said in an interview with IndigiNews.

“We made it through the night because our ancestors are watching over us.” 

Daniels said the story came at the request of a friend and matriarch who, after losing her mother, was searching for a resource to discuss grief and loss with children. 

“She had asked me, ‘can you write a children’s book from a Secwépemc perspective, talking about the star people and what that means for our people and especially in terms of grief and loss, because we really need something,’” he explained.

Daniels said he commonly discusses Secwépemc language and culture, but noted that the stories are often not in a written form, so being asked for this book by a matriarch inspired him.

For months, Daniels worked on the story, using teachings he’s learned through oral stories as he also conducted research, finding articles from anthropologist James Teit which discussed Secwépemc beliefs around stars and where people go after death.

He added that the meaning of the story came from the beauty and love in the culture which he hopes people can connect to in a meaningful way.

Daniels’s own family provided the basis for this story, with his nephew Malakai centred as the main character. 

‘I’m an uncle first’

As Daniels sits at his desk, he has pictures of his family surrounding him, which he said ground him while he works. He is currently working on a capstone project for his Masters of Education degree that’s based around storytelling.

He said that he is constantly thinking about how he would talk, act and carry himself if his nieces and nephews were with him while doing his daily work. 

“It’s a huge, huge driver behind my professional and personal success and a huge motivator every single day,” he explained.

“I’m an uncle first, and everything else just kind of follows behind it. And the story is kind of a demonstration of that, almost like a love letter to my children and to my Youth and to my to my community — and to my nieces and my nephew especially.”

When his first niece was born in 2012, Daniels knew he wanted to make the world a better place, so he returned to school and even became an addictions worker which allowed him to help his dad become sober.  

While in school, he was also elected to serve as a councillor for Tsq̓éscen̓ First Nation, which Daniels said he felt was a good way to make lasting change for the Youth.

Connection to stories has played an important role in Daniels’s life, and he described his current capstone project on storytelling as deeply meaningful and a source of power and inspiration.

“Story work is a legal and living framework for moving forward; implementing meaningful, indigenous pedagogy, red pedagogy, and imagining bright futures,” he said.

A writer who Daniels looks up to is fellow Secwépemc author Bev Sellars, whose book Price Paid: The Fight for First Nations Survival, inspired him through the questions of land back that are asked throughout the book. 

It’s through the stories from the ancestors, who were suppressed and oppressed but still thrived through the language and culture, that Daniels finds empowerment from.  

“There’s nothing that we can’t do without the support and language and culture behind us,” he said.

“It is the future.”

Utilizing the language in his book wasn’t straightforward, Daniels explained, as he was nervous not everyone would support him sharing words such as Tscwinúcw-k as part of his own artistic expression. 

In the end, his love for the language and hope to help the future generations prevailed.

“I’m entitled to learn my language. I’m entitled to talk about it, I’m entitled to share it and I think there’s greater strength in connecting and learning,” he said.

His own past with learning the language was a complicated process but through teachings, which focused less on the written language, Daniels was told that the spoken language was the most important since the ancestors could hear what was said.

In his effort to start a conversation about the language, he left out the English pronunciations from the book, hoping to inspire questions and answers between the people. With a Secwepemctsín glossary at the end of the book, Daniels explains and defines the words used, while also exemplifying the impact that each word can have.

“It’s an invitation to talk about the language, to talk about Secwepemctsín, because that’s what’s needed,” he said. 

“It’s an invitation to have a bigger conversation about what revitalization of language actually looks like. And that’s one of the more intentional parts of the book.”

‘To be Secwépemc is to be generous’

Beyond the words within, Daniels was involved in each aspect of Tscwinúcw-k: The Stars of the Secwépemc. The illustrations were created based on pictures he has of his nephew and his Kyé7e. 

“It’s really cool because I took actual photos from my nephew and his grandmother and use those as kind of the inspiration for it,” he said. 

The characters even have pictographs and Secwépemc images on their clothing and in the surroundings of the pages. He also included Secwépemc numbers on each page, so there are plenty of cultural elements included in the story.

Daniels recalled his parents’ teachings about taking care of the people, and said he was committed to sharing his knowledge with younger generations.

In the spirit of this reciprocity, he sent copies of his book to each of the 17 Secwépemc nations. 

“To be Secwépemc is to be generous and to share your resources,” he said. 

“That’s how we survived.”

Daniels has many hopes for his story to inspire a sense of relief and comfort for people who have experienced loss, while also opening the door for connection within communities — specifically to ancestors and the culture.

“I think at the root of it all, is that connection,” he says.

To him, the connection leads to better spiritual, mental and physical health and, in turn, that helps the people through the issues they are struggling with.

“That’s my biggest hope, is that emotional expression is addiction prevention.”

Tscwinúcw-k: The Stars of the Secwépemc will soon be available in stores and can currently be purchased online from Indigo and Amazon in “Canada” and from Walmart in the “U.S.”