Art Prompt: What Does Your Imagination Look Like?

People with Indigenous heritage throughout the Americas and the world might not always feel comfortable identifying as Indigenous or really know what it means or carry the traditions of their ancestors with them. 

Anne Tenning, a member of the Stz’uminus First Nation on Vancouver Island, found in working with Indigenous young people they were not always confident to define themselves or understand their culture. She wrote this book, which is a poem about being Indigenous and being proud of who you are. It’s available in English and French. 

The book is called I Am Indigenous, and it is illustrated by 13 Indigenous artists who reflect different aspects of and feelings about being Indigenous in their illustrations. There’s a wide range of art, from colorful designs with floral motifs to realistic looking family and school scenes. 

The story reflects that Indigenous people don’t all look the same or come from the same place. They don’t have the same names or history and they might be connected to their ancestors and traditions or they might just be learning. They might live on a reservation or in a city far from where their ancestors lived. But they are all Indigenous. 

This book is a call both to Indigenous kids and others that being Indigenous doesn’t mean one thing. You don’t have to act a certain way or know the language or participate in the music, dance and rituals of your people, though you can of course also do those things. 

It’s aimed at young readers around kindergarten age (though some of the words might be a little complicated for that age group) but I think slightly older kids would get something out of this book too. It would be a nice one to have on the shelf if there are Indigenous kids in your classroom, and even if there aren’t as we get closer to Indigenous People’s Day and Thanksgiving, it’s a great way to talk about the fact that Indigenous people are still around and to look at Indigenous art from a bunch of artists all at once. 

About the book: 40 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by Orca Book Publishers. Suggested retail price $21.99.