Leanne Simpson: A Brief Summary

Simpson’s style of writing and use of Indigenous words are ways in which we see her resist colonialist storytelling conventions. Leanne Simpson deconstructs colonial space by creating a book that is both familiar and accessible to members of and beyond her community. The absence of capital letters and her use of the Nishinaabemowin language, throughout her work, are examples of this resistance to the standard. Ultimately, the use of language is a method to connect with Anishinaabe culture. Simpson also provides the translation of many words such as, jiibay (a ghost), aandizooke (a messenger), and nokomis (grandmother) in the footnotes for those of us who are not part of the Anishinaabe tribe or familiar with the language. By doing this, Simpson reaches out to an audience willing to learn and love the language and ways of her people. It is also important to note that, most, if not all, stories in her collection are examples of oral storytelling. This is of great importance as oral tradition is an essential form of pedagogy for Indigenous people.
It is through storytelling that stories such as, ‘for asinykwe’ (Simpson, 2013, p. 127-129) …show more content…
The zhaganosh (white people) still manage to take and break what is not theirs (Simpson, 2013, p. 46). We see colonialism today in many forms such as, reserves, blatant racism, and resource exploitation. We see that maintaining tradition in an ever-growing capitalist and imperialist society is an everyday struggle. Leanne Simpson does not leave this story with anger, however. As mentioned previously, she creates paths to healing in each of her stories. In this story, and in many others, the characters find that healing and salvation with each other (Simpson, 2013, p. 47). They know that love’s existence, a powerful form of resistance, will keep tradition alive and their sense of self worth