Turtle Island Reads: Elma Moses champions Dawn Dumont's Nobody Cries at Bingo

On Wednesday, Sept. 21,CBCco-hosts Turtle Island Reads a live public event at Kahnawake Survival School,highlighting stories written by and about Indigenous Canadians.

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Drawing its inspiration from CBC's Canada Reads, it'san opportunity to talk about and celebrate Indigenous Canadian writers and connect readers with their stories.

Three advocates will each championone book of fiction written by an Indigenous Canadian author and try to persuade you to make that book the next one on your reading list.

Elma Moses, astoryteller, performer and Concordia University professorwho is a member of the Cree Nation of Eastmain, tells us what drew her to Dawn Dupont'sautobiographical novel,Nobody Cries at Bingo.

This is how the story goes: When CBC Montreal asked me if I would like to participate in Turtle Island Reads,I accepted.

I was so excited about the idea of sharing my passion with others about Indigenous literature and Indigenous writers.

I also like the idea of reading other writers whose storiesI haven't yet read.

Usually, you choose a book you want to read, but this time it was the book that chose me.I am very happy that it did.

I was looking to read something by an Indigenous woman writer, and someone suggested Dawn Dumont's book, Nobody Cries at Bingo.

Dumont is from theOkanese First Nation in southern Saskatchewan,and her story is written as a series of autobiographical vignettes.

Nobody Cries at Bingo reminded me, at first, ofTomson Highway's two-act playRez Sisters, but in the form of a novel.

The Dawn of Dumont's novelisa shy, young Indigenous girl who loves to read. We meet hersisters, brother, cousins, aunties, grandmothers, nieces, nephewsas well asothers from her extended family.

We follow Dawn as she navigates pre-school andas she attends elementary school. We are with her as she has to deal with implicit segregation inside the classroom as well as in the schoolyard.

That oopsymoment

Although the topics in the book are very difficult, they are dealt with with humour and throughthe voice of achild as she goes through these periods in her life: being bullied, living in poverty without running water,living on the reserve right next to a white town, drinking, violence, what to do on the rez when there is nothing to do.

She learns how to drive a truck and flips it an oopsymoment for Dawn. Marriage, bingo addicts, coming of age on the rez: I can identify with this character as she goes through these periods of her life.

How do you find a boyfriend when you are a shy rez girl who loves to read, and most boys in your community and the surrounding reservations are your cousins? What do you do?

I grew up in a northern community, and just like Dawn, most guys on the rez were my cousins.I can identify with the character in the scene at the community bingo, at the wedding, trying to find thatboyfriend.

I found these scenes quite hilarious.

And the part aboutdriving a truck on the back roads itcould have been me, my sisterand my cousins, if we'd had a truck. But the first step in learning how to drive is practising on a tractor and having enough money for fuel to make it run.

Dumont's book is a great read and a great way to get to know about Indigenous literature on Turtle Island, also known as Canada.

• Find out more about CBC Montreal's special event: Turtle Island Reads

Co-hosted by CBC's Sonali Karnick andWaubkeshigRice, theevent is a CBC collaboration with community leaders on theKahnawakeMohawk territory, the Quebec Writers' Federation andMcGillUniversity'sInstitute for the Public Life of Arts and Ideas.

Let us know you're comingby visiting ourCBC Montreal Facebook Events page.