by Nikki Rajala | Aug 10, 2018 | Voyageur
Taya, 15, Blake, and Kjell, 13, have asked about the locations in “Treacherous Waters.” (Time for maps, one of my favorite tasks.) For a kid in French-Canada in the early 1800s, André is well-traveled. Both “Treacherous Waters” and “Waters Like the Sky”...
by Nikki Rajala | Jul 14, 2018 | Featured
The March-April 2018 issue of the Minnesota Conservation “Volunteer” magazine had a surprising article in “Crunch Goes the Cricket” — insects as a potential, sustainable and nutritious food source. They are packed with protein. (If only my starving voyageur characters...
by Nikki Rajala | Jul 3, 2018 | Voyageur
What was it like at a rendezvous? Could we still see what happened? Would it be safe for kids? (Taya and Brinn, age 13) In the 1800s, voyageurs celebrated for most of July at the rendezvous. After six weeks (or more) of paddling full-tilt from either Lachine with...
by Nikki Rajala | Jun 23, 2018 | Featured
A “point” blanket (one with short lines of thread stitched into one side, called “points”) is what we now call a Hudson’s Bay blanket. But: Hudson’s Bay Company wasn’t the first to introduce the point blanket. Point blankets were commonly...
by Nikki Rajala | May 19, 2018 | Featured
It’s in my blood—I’m descended from voyageurs. Mom found listings of a dozen engagés, or canoemen, through genealogy research into her French-Canadian roots. My grandfather, a younger son of a younger son of a voyageur, told of his connection: His great...
