The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour by Dawn Dumont is loosely based on the true story of a group of Indigenous dancers who left Saskatchewan and toured through Europe in the 1970s. Dawn is an Indigenous author from the Prairies who brings her comedic bone to all her novels. This novel covers many topics, such as homosexuality, ghosts, drugs, as well as the stigma of being an Indigenous person in the 1970s. This book is geared for an older audience to be able to fully understand the humour and topics. It is well connected to many parts of the curriculum and would be a great asset to any library. Students should have some understanding of the history of residential school systems in Canada to fully engage in the story. Dumont’s book is an enjoyable ride for all readers.

Contributor Affiliation: Dawn Dumont (Okanese Cree Nation)
Bibliography: No
Index: No

Source: Books BC - Indigenous Books for Schools

Dawn Dumont is a Plains Cree comedian and actress born and raised on the Okanese First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada. Dawn has made people laugh at comedy clubs across North American, including New York’s Comic Strip, the New York Comedy Club, and the Improv. She began her comedy career in Toronto on stages such as Yuk Yuk’s and the Laugh Resort. Dawn is currently a comedy writer for CBC Radio and the Edmonton Journal, and is a Story Editor for By the Rapids, an animation comedy series on APTN. Dumont’s writing has been published in the anthologies Native Women in the Arts and Gatherings, as well as in Rampage Literary Journal. Her personal essay “Transformations” was published by Toronto’s Now Magazine. Most recently her play, Nicimis (Little Brother) was workshopped at Native Earth’s Performing Arts Weesageechak Begins to Dance Festival in Toronto, with artistic director Alanis King. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta. Nobody Cries at Bingo published by Thistledown Press in 2011 is a rare and beautiful fictional memoir of her growing up in the culture of the Okanese First Nation.

Dawn Dumont's profile page