Mouse Woman and the Mischief Makers

Mouse Woman

by Christie Harris, Douglas Tait (Illustrator)

Originally published between in 1978, these legends of the Haida people of British Columbia feature the wise and enterprising Mouse Woman, a narnauk (supernatural human/animal shape-shifter) who takes the form of both a mouse and a grandmother. Mouse Woman's role, as Christie Harris's carefully researched and respectfully told legends tell, was to keep order between other narnauks and humans. Both a teacher and a nurturer, the ever-watchful Mouse Woman keeps a particularly close eye on young people. When they are tricked into trouble (often by other narnauks), she uses tact and her own brand of trickery to set things right. A unique and wonderful character, the ingenious Mouse Woman convinces the young people to change their ways themselves with only a little bit of direction from her. This reissue of the original text features the striking original black-and-white line drawings of Douglas Tait. With a new and more contemporary look, these compelling stories hold appeal for fans of the legendary Harris and all readers drawn to legends and folktales.

Genres: Mythology

151 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

A Canadian children's author best known for her portrayal of Haida First Nations culture in the 1966 novel Raven's Cry.

In 2002, the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize was created in her honor.

Reviews

[Domini Mullins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book about Mouse Woman and her passion for order and wool.

[Black Beard · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada who has not been absorbed into the body of politic."
-Duncan Campbell Scott, 1920

The systematic cultural genocide perpetrated against Canadian First Nations peoples by the Canadian and British governments has left wounds in their communities that the knives still lie in. Only in 1996 was the last residential school closed. That is why books like Mouse Woman and the Mischief Makers are so important to be read and appreciated by Canadians of all ethnicities.

I'm sure that there are practices and religious stories that indigenous Canadians will never be able to recover, but these tales of Mouse Woman are not among them. Written in an accessible tone, Christie Harris opens a section of Native Canadian heritage to everyone, and stands among the few people working not only to conserve, but to resurrect the myths of First Nations peoples. And she does so well.

Mouse Woman is a busybody, always sticking her nose in other peoples' and narnauks' (spirit creatures) business. She offers her help to kind young people, rights wrongs in the world, and ensures that everything is balanced. She sometimes acts, in my opinion, as a karmic force.

Something that struck me as relevant to current racial tensions all across the world is when Mouse Woman not only recognizes and accepts the wrongs done to a family by her people, but works to right them and thus "balance" the hurt. Unfortunately, the genocide committed against First Nations cannot be undone like the hurt in the story, but it teaches an important lesson of knowing when your people have caused terrible pain and taking the responsibility to right it without blaming yourself.

Aside from racial ideas, Mouse Woman and the Mischief Makers is written in a concise, clear voice with a convincing "mythic" tone that gives you a sense of really reading a peoples' beliefs. It'd be great to read in the classes and homes of anyone of any age, and I can't recommend it higher.