Among many aboriginal peoples, an “honour song” is a tribute made to elders or persons highly respected in the community. Metis author Barbara Hager focuses on sixteen individuals from across the country who have made superior contributions to the cultural, artistic, social, athletic, and political fabric of Canada. Those exceptional people are singers Susan Aglukark and Shania Twain, Manitoba judge Murray Sinclair, novelist Thomas King, filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, NHL hockey coach Ted Nolan, artists Robert Davidson and Jane Ash Poitras, educator Verna Kirkness, politicians Matthew Coon Come and Elijah Harper, activist Rosemarie Kuptana, actor Graham Greene, health professional Jean Goodwill, athlete Angela Chalmers, and architect Douglas Cardinal.
Canada’s aboriginal people, whether First Nations, Metis, or Inuit, are a distinctive part of what makes this country a great nation. Combining history, biography, and cross-cultural travelogue, Honour Song vividly brings to life the hopes, dreams, and triumphs of a proud people and pays them tribute.