David Bouchard is a Canadian author and former high

school principal A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

. Bouchard was born and raised in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

. He is a

Member of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ce ...

and a public school in

Oshawa Oshawa ( , also ; 2021 population 175,383; CMA 415,311) is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the ...

, Ontario is named after him. In his 2017 book, ''Proud to Be Métis'', Bouchard writes that his grandfather had

Ojibwa The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

and

Osage The Osage Nation, a Native American tribe in the United States, is the source of most other terms containing the word "osage". Osage can also refer to: * Osage language, a Dhaegin language traditionally spoken by the Osage Nation * Osage (Unicode ...

roots, but never spoke of them. This was not uncommon in that era, as many Canadians of Metis background grew up in families that did not speak about their Métis background. In a book interview with the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governme ...

, Bouchard said, "We struggle with whether or not we have the right to reclaim that heritage, of if in fact because we weren't raised in that environment, we can even do that." Bouchard claims is of

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which deri ...

descent but has not been accepted by the Metis Nation who has rejected his claimsBouchard, David (2006). ''Nokum Is My Teacher'', Postface. Illustrated by

Allen Sapp Allen Sapp (January 2, 1928 – December 29, 2015) was a Canadian Cree painter, who resided in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. His art and his story have become known throughout Canada. His paintings tell a personal story, and many feature ima ...

. Music by

Northern Cree Northern Cree, also known as the Northern Cree Singers, is a powwow and Round Dance drum and singing group, based in Maskwacis, Bouchard, David (2006). ''Nokum Is My Teacher'', Postface. Illustrated by Allen Sapp. Music by Northern Cree. Red D ...

Red Deer Press Red Deer Press is a Canadian book publishing company located in Leaside, Ontario. It publishes trade titles in children's fiction, literary fiction, poetry, drama, belles-lettres, and creative nonfiction focusing on the Canadian prairies. Red ...

. .Bouchard, David and Willier, Shelley (2008). ''The Drum Calls Softly'', Postface. Illustrated by Jim Poitras. Music by Northern Cree. Red Deer Press. . (more specifically,

Ojibway The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

, his Ojibway name is Zhiibaayaanakwad In 2008 Bouchard became a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the c ...

Bibliography

*''Long Powwow Nights'', with Pam Aleekuk, illustrated by Leonard Paul, music (CD) by

Buffy Sainte-Marie Buffy Sainte-Marie, (born Beverly Sainte-Marie, February 20, 1941) is an Indigenous Canadian-American ( Piapot Cree Nation) singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. While working in these ...

, (2009, Red Deer Press). *''The Secrit of Your Name/Kiimouch Ka Shinikashooyen'', illustrated by Dennis J. Weber, music (CD) by John Arcand, (2010, Red Deer Press). *''The Drum Calls Softly'' (2008, Red Deer Press), bilingual (English & Cree), illustrated by Jim Poitras, music by

, Cree translation by Steve Wood, is a 2009

Canadian Children's Book Centre Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC) is a national non-profit organization that dedicates its resources to promoting quality Canadian children's literature to parents, librarians, teachers, and youth across Canada. Founded in 1976, the CCBC has l ...

Our Choice and 2010

BolognaRagazzi Award The Bologna Children's Book Fair or La fiera del libro per ragazzi is the leading professional fair for children's books in the world. Since 1963, it is held yearly for four days in March or April in Bologna, Italy. It is the meeting place for al ...

Mention book. See: Round Dance. *''Aboriginal Carol'' (2007, Red Deer Press), illustrated by Moses Beaver, bilingual (English &

Inuktitut Inuktitut (; , syllabics ; from , "person" + , "like", "in the manner of"), also Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces o ...

), translation and music by

Susan Aglukark Susan Aglukark, (Inuktitut syllabics: ᓲᓴᓐ ᐊᒡᓘᒃᑲᖅ ''suusan agluukkaq''), (born 27 January 1967) is a Canadian singer whose blend of Inuit folk music traditions with country and pop songwriting has made her a major recordin ...

, was awarded a White Raven by the

International Youth Library The International Youth Library (IYL) (, IJB) in Munich is a library that specializes in the collection of children and youth literature from around the world in order to make them available to the public, focusing on the international community. ...

*''Nokum: is My Teacher'', Illustrated by

. Music by Northern Cree. (2006,

). ''Nokum'' was shortlisted for the 2018

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award The TD Canadian Children's Literature Award is an annual Canadian literary award, presented to the year's best work of children's literature. Sponsored by TD Bank Financial Group and the Canadian Children's Book Centre, the award carries a monet ...

. *''The Song within my Heart'' illustrations by

(2003, Raincoast Books) In 2003, he received the

Governor General's Award for English language children's illustration The Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian illustrator for a children's book written in English. It is one of four children's book awards among the Go ...

for the book, ''

The Song Within My Heart ''The Song within my Heart by Dave Bouchard'' is a children's picture book by David Bouchard with illustrations by Allen Sapp. It was first published in 2002 by Raincoast Books. A story about a young Cree boy, it is based on the memories of the ...

''.
The Book Review Digest: Annual cumulation
'. H. W. Wilson Company; 2005. p. 140–141. *''Dragon New Year'' (1999, Peachtree Publishers) *''The Great Race'' (1997) * ''For the Love of Reading: Books to Build Lifelong Readers'' (2004, Orca), with Sally Bender, Anne Letain, and Lucie Poulin-Mackey

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bouchard, David 1952 births Living people Canadian children's writers Canadian storytellers Heads of schools in Canada Members of the Order of Canada