ORIGIN

Introducing Indigenous children from around the globe.

The two-page spreads in this work translated from Spanish feature profiles of several paragraphs in the voices of Indigenous children who address an implicitly non-Native reader, alongside beautiful full-page color portraits with natural elements of their homelands superimposed across their faces. Author and illustrator Cardozo, the French-born daughter of Uruguayan refugees, includes 22 societies, such as the Orang Rimba of present-day Indonesia, the Cherokee of the present-day southeastern U.S., and the Tz’utujil of present-day Guatemala. The profiles name each of the peoples’ current territory, population, and spoken language. The backmatter touches on the impact of the forces of consumerism and imperialism and will require adult support for additional context and clarification. Although the author’s note indicates a desire to uplift those “whose ancestral wisdom has so much to teach us” and to help readers understand that “WE ARE ALL ONE,” the profiles too often flatten the Indigenous subjects through the use of romanticized language that evokes stereotypes (“I wonder if all Tuareg women, strong and wise, are descended from her”). The absence of details that would make the subjects feel more like real, everyday children will likely undermine a genuine connection with young readers. Due to the text’s brevity, some information about the cultures is highly generalized. A QR code links to the book’s sources, predominantly materials by non-Indigenous peoples, including a source whose experiences in Africa came about through missionary work.

A well-intentioned project that falls short of the illumination it promises.