The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle: Vol. 1

A True and Exact Accounting of the History of Turtle Island

By: Kent Monkman, Gisèle Gordon

Narrated by: Gail Maurice

From global art superstar Kent Monkman and his long-time collaborator Gisèle Gordon, a transformational work of true stories and imagined history that will remake readers’ understanding of the land called North America.

For decades, the singular and provocative paintings by Cree artist Kent Monkman have featured a recurring character—an alter ego of sorts, a shape-shifting, time-travelling elemental being named Miss Chief Eagle Testickle. Though we have glimpsed her across the years in films and on countless canvases, it is finally time to hear her story, in her own words. And, in doing so, to hear the whole history of Turtle Island anew. The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle: A True and Exact Accounting of the History of Turtle Island is a genre-demolishing work of genius, the imagined history of a legendary figure through which profound truths emerge—a deeply Cree and gloriously queer understanding of our shared world, its past, its present, and its possibilities.

Volume One, which covers the period from the creation of the universe to the confederation of Canada, follows Miss Chief as she moves through time, from a complex lived experience of Cree cosmology to the arrival of European settlers, many of whom will be familiar to students of history. An open-hearted being, she tries to live among those settlers, and guide them to a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all beings and the world itself. As their numbers grow, though, so does conflict, and Miss Chief begins to understand that the challenges posed by the hordes of newly arrived Europeans will mean ever greater danger for her, her people, and, by extension, all of the world she cherishes.

Blending history, fiction, and memoir in bold new ways, The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle are unlike anything published before. And in their power to reshape our shared understanding, they promise to change the way we see everything that lies ahead.

This audiobook features two versions of the The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle: A True and Exact Accounting of the History of Turtle Island, Volume One. The memoirs are read by Gail Maurice, Cree/Michif translator, actor, writer, filmmaker, director, and one of the inspirations for Miss Chief Eagle, with the introduction read by the authors. The first version is read as the abridged standalone memoirs, excluding endnotes. It is immediately followed by the second version which includes the full unabridged book, including endnotes inserted in situ, read by co-author Gisèle Gordon. This audiobook comes with a supplemental PDF which includes images of the paintings included in the physical book, as well as a note on the use of Cree in the text, and a Cree glossary.

Critic reviews

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER
Finalist for the 2024 VMI Betsy Warland Between Genres Award
Finalist for the 2024 Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction
One of Indigo's Top 100 Best Books of 2023

"Long a persona stalking the paintings of provocative Cree artist Kent Monkman, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle steps off the canvas to tell her own story—and that of the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island—in a two volume collaboration with Gisèle Gordon. Lavishly illustrated with Monkman’s paintings, The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle is at once (and seamlessly) a unique story of an even more unique deity, an exposition of nêhiyaw (Cree) beliefs and a primer in nêhiyawêwin (Cree Language), and a deeply researched history of contact, colonization, and resurgence. A full-blown remediation of the politically-charged and erotic world of Monkman’s paintings, these books educate, inspire, entertain, and leave the reader breathless."
—Steve Collis, 2024 VMI Betsy Warland Between Genres Award judge

Joy and sorrow intertwine

Drifting between campy, silly and devastatingly serious, this book brings you on a journey through time, partially imagined, partially real and tells a story where hope travels through cosmic dimensions despite all odds. Beautifully read and delightfully written.

Hau day own day! this is great

A 2S legendary being account of colonization and through the eyes of the original peoples of the land. A wonderful read and narration. Though if you are uncomfortable with sex, you may feel some parts are wild, however in my decolonizing journey I accept these things as human and normal, too many of us have learned to hide this when it is part of being a human being!