So You Girls Remember That: Memories of a Haida Elder

Collected wisdoms, reflections and stories from Indigenous Elder Naanii Nora of the Haida Nation.

So You Girls Remember That is an oral history of a Haida Elder, Naanii Nora, who lived from 1902 to 1997. A collaborative effort, this project was initiated and guided by Charlie Bellis and Maureen McNamara and was years in the making. The resulting book, compiled by Jenny Nelson, is a window into Nora’s life and her family—from the young girl singing all day in the canoe, bossing her brothers around or crossing Hecate Strait on her dad’s schooner, to the young woman making her way in the new white settlers’ town up the inlet, with music always a refrain. These are stories of childhood; of people and place, seasons and change; life stages and transitions such as moving and marriage; and Haida songs and meanings.

This book also contains the larger story of Nora’s times, a representation of changing political relationships between Canada and the Haida people and a personal part of the Haida tale.

What ultimately shines through is Nora’s singular and dynamic voice speaking with the wisdom of years. For example, on giving advice she says: “I like to give anybody advice because when you’re young you don’t know nothing on this world. What’s coming; what’s going … You have to remember it’s a steep hill; you’re right on the top. You slide down anytime if you don’t be careful.”

This is a work of great generosity, expressing Nora’s spirit of living—her joy, humour, spirituality and resourcefulness; her love of children, music and social life; her kindness, strong will and creativity; and her spirit that has nurtured a community and endures to this day.

Royalties will be donated to the Carl Hart Legacy Trust through the Haida Gwaii Community Foundation, to support the Rediscovery Camp at T'aalan Stl'ang.

“You can tell if someone has ever met Naanii Nora Brown Bellis Yahgulanaas as the mere mention of her name will make them smile.”

“Reading my Nanny’s stories in So You Girls Remember That, filled me with emotions. It brought me back to Nanny’s strong warm hugs and her cheeky demeanor, memories of her cluttered house and all the time spent with her. As a Haida, and a father, I worry about the rapidly advancing world, where we are now and where we’re heading. Nanny has laid the blueprint for tackling such worries. Her words remind us to always believe in ourselves, and that love of family and community are essential, not only for survival but also for the flourishing of love, laughter and music.”

“Sometimes, one encounters a book that is, uniquely, so dense with relations that this scaffolding comes to represent it for a reviewer. So You Girls Remember That is such a work.”