Spíləx̣m

A Weaving of Recovery, Resilience, and Resurgence

By: Nicola I. Campbell

Narrated by: Nicola I. Campbell

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

If the hurt and grief we carry is a woven blanket, it is time to weave ourselves anew.

In the Nłeʔkepmxcín language, spíləx̣m are remembered stories, often shared over tea in the quiet hours between Elders. Rooted within the British Columbia landscape, and with an almost tactile representation of being on the land and water, Spíləx̣m explores resilience, reconnection, and narrative memory through stories.

Captivating and deeply moving, this story basket of memories tells one Indigenous woman’s journey of overcoming adversity and colonial trauma to find strength through creative works and traditional perspectives of healing, transformation, and resurgence.

©2021 Nicola I. Campbell (P)2022 HighWater Press

Critic reviews

“This is a terrific tale, peppered with some lovely poetry and deep philosophical convictions: raise your arms in strength and humility. The Nations of British Columbia practise this every day. We commit to strength and humility. We are humble before Star Nations and strong for one another. Nicola Campbell gets this. She is descended from two distinct Indigenous peoples: those that hold their arms and those that serve one another. Nicola braids these two cultures together and bequeaths the result to all of us and to the world. Loaded with history, rich in story, and lovely in its poetics.”—Si’Yam Lee Maracle O.C., author and performing artist

“Highly Recommended!”—Debbie Reese, American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL)

“Spílǝxm is a putting away of pain, a letting go of sorrow, a poignant unburdening, and a return to self and community. With it, Campbell establishes herself as a visionary with the capacity to gather what is broken and weave it into a new story.”—Quill & Quire

Truth in Story and Narrator's Voice

Author stays true to her voice. It is very relatable because it honors her truth. It is far more valuable than can be described because, as a native person, I can tell the story is genuine and not edited or narrated to comply to non-native understanding, rather, it will draw you into the world of a lady who fights hard to honor the teachings of her aunties, grandmas, ancestors, while fighting the molds that non-native people expect native people to teach others about native history. This author has a powerful voice, one that is truth, one that isn't edited to appeal and conform to that mass audience. The author has kept her unique voice, vision, and storytelling gift in true form. There are many lessons to be learned from this book: life lessons, honoring spirit, finding and never losing your voice, and most of all, putting this all together in a nicely presented story that stays true to the author's voice both in English and her native tongue, a transition that adds strength to the ancestors honored in this book.