Children’s book recounts Montreal activist Na’kuset’s journey through the Sixties Scoop

A new children’s book is shedding light on the lasting impact of the Sixties Scoop through the personal story of Montreal activist Na’kuset, who was taken from her Indigenous family as a child and adopted into a non-Indigenous home.

“I Am My Name,” co-written by Na’kuset and Emmy Award–winning composer and author Judith Henderson, tells the story of a young girl searching for her identity after being removed from her family, culture and name.

The book traces Na’kuset’s journey back to her roots and her reconnection with her sister.

“The first time I met my sister, she remembered my voice,” Na’kuset said.

Na’kuset was adopted through the Adopt Indian and Métis (AIM) project, part of the Sixties Scoop, during which thousands of Indigenous children were removed from their families by child welfare authorities and placed in non-Indigenous homes.

“When we were put through the Sixties Scoop, through the AIM Project, it was the social workers that told the adoptive family, you need to change their name,” she said. “So being like almost three, I knew this was not my name.”

She said the loss of her name and culture created a deep sense of confusion and disconnection that followed her into adulthood.

“I think when you’re adopted, you feel loyalty to the family that you have, that you have to absorb their culture and not try to find your own,” Na’kuset said. “And I needed to find my own culture.”

Henderson said adapting such a painful and complex history for young readers required difficult editorial decisions.

“The most difficult decision was deciding what not to put in the book, or how to say, or tell, the difficult parts,” she said.

Na’kuset said Henderson played a key role in shaping her memories into language that children could understand without being overwhelmed.

“She was able to take my words and turn it into language that young children can hear and absorb without taking on too much of the sadness,” Na’kuset said.

The book’s illustrations were created by Indigenous artist Chenoa Gao, who works under the name OneDove. Gao said her work was informed by her own family’s experience with the Sixties Scoop.

“For me, as much as it was Na’kuset’s story, I felt like I was repairing parts of my mom and my relationship to her,” Gao said. “Just having more compassion and understanding for why my mom was the way she was.”

Gao said colour plays an important role in conveying emotion throughout the book.

“In the scenes where she’s with her Bubby, they’re warm and you feel the sun,” she said. “When she’s upset, it’s darker, blues and violets and you get this sense of loneliness.”

For Na’kuset, the book is both a personal tribute and an educational tool.

“Knowing that I did have a family elsewhere, that was something that lingered throughout my life,” she said. “Trying to find it again.”

The authors hope “I Am My Name” will be used in classrooms to help children learn about the Sixties Scoop and begin conversations about reconciliation.

“This is what reconciliation looks like,” Gao said. “It’s saying, ‘yes, this happened. We need to know about it and this is how we begin talking about it and healing.’”

Na’kuset said stories like hers are often missing from early education.

“They’re the ones that decide how history should be told,” she said, referring to the governing authorities. “That’s why it’s not reflected in the education system, in elementary school.”

Henderson acknowledged the book may be difficult, but said it is necessary.

“It’s not an easy story, but one that needs to be told over and over again, especially for children who don’t know their history, their Canadian history,” she said.