The Winter We Danced reveals the full depth and breadth of Idle No More, its traditional roots and future potential – reading, at times, like prophecy.This ambitious collection is brilliantly structured as a round dance; we are initiated in a section titled “First Beats.” …the more than 75 contributors represented here–including former Olympians and judges, journalists and Chiefs, musicians and former gang leaders–are dazzlingly diverse. We step lightly from poems to manifestos to blog posts to editorials. This free-flowing yet directed quality mirrors the round dances that invaded malls across North America the winter of 2012-13, challenging the rigid artifice around them. With each text, the significance of the format builds, and is compounded by stunning artwork.

This collection is an important archive of all the effort toward Indigenous freedom that has been achieved so far and an impassioned vision of a resilient Indigenous future. It comes at a crucial moment to provide reflection and stoke the fires of further action. Indeed, simply purchasing the book helps further important work as all proceeds from The Winter We Danced go to the Native Youth Sexual Health Network.

Manitoba’s Kino-nda-niimi Collective has created an invaluable resource with the recently-published book, (em>The Winter We Danced (ARP books, Winnipeg). This is a treasure trove of photos, poems, stories and essays, in all about 120 entries that capture the emotions and ideas of indigenous pride and resistance that fuel the Idle No More movement.