Employing Indigenous spirituality, black comedy, and the memories of her own childhood as healing arts, celebrated poet Louise B. Halfe – Sky Dancer finds an irrepressible source of strength and dignity in her people. Bear Bones and Feathers offers moving portraits of Halfe’s grandmother (a medicine woman whose life straddled old and new worlds), her parents (both trapped in a cycle of jealousy and abuse), and the people whose pain she witnessed on the reserve and at residential school.

Bone lodge -- Ghost dance -- ayamihâwina - Old Rock Mother -- Crying for voice -- Spirits -- pâhkahkos -- nôhkom âhtayôhkân 1 -- nôhkom âhtayôhkân 2 -- Sundog mate -- nôhkom, Medicine Bear -- Off with their heads -- nôhkom's ice cream and syrup -- She told me -- Grandma's apprentice -- Men in my life -- He has gone to ground -- Rituals -- Elder's waltz -- Grouse -- Wagon ride -- Chokecherries -- Loving obscenities -- Body politics -- Lizard's curse -- Free from Grandma -- Tuberculosis thief -- Womanchild -- Ukrainian hour -- Aborting -- Fog inside Mama -- First moon -- Emma -- Bareback in the Snakehills -- Maintain the right -- Ditch bitch -- Valentine dialogue -- Eatin' critters -- Sugar beat -- i bring my sins to geezuz -- nîcimos -- Thieves -- Boarding school -- The residential school bus -- Ships on the reserve -- nitôtêm -- Bruises are part of Daddy's job -- Tribal warfare -- Hoop dancer -- stones -- Hamilton's graveyard -- Gifts for the child -- Rainbow babies -- Snake -- Hold me tight -- Picking leftovers -- Diaper boy -- Jahnnie -- Idylwyld crow -- Sister -- Beneath the eyelids -- Eclipse -- so sorry -- I'm so sorry -- ten hail marys -- In da name of da Fadder -- der poop -- my ledders -- Returning -- You've got to teach white women everything -- These are the body's gifts -- For Usine -- For Omeasoo -- For Patrick -- Landscape -- The way to the heart -- The heat of my grandmothers -- Roots and wings -- The eagle squeeze.