Published in 1976, An Antane-Kapesh’s first book, in Innu and in French, aims to defend the culture of her people by opposing it to that of White peoples; the chapter on the implementation of schools and residential schools in particular is very compelling. The author describes “Les Blancs” (“the White People”) by listing all of their “gifts”: schools, alcohol, police, tribunals, reserves, journalists and filmmakers. She denounces the injustices, misrepresentations and social problems of her people, writing as if it were her last chance to give them back their dignity. It is about resistance and survival, disappearing traditional ways of life and challenging new realities. Her narrative is fuelled by elements of oral storytelling and focuses on the greater good for the community rather than her own personal wellbeing. Je suis une maudite Sauvagesse is the first book to be published by an Indigenous woman in Quebec.
