Heartbeat of the Earth

Alice Kidd is an editor with The New Catalyst editorial collective in
Lillooet, B.C.

Informative text and vivid red-and-black prints are combined in this
compelling exploration of the struggles of the Gitxsan and other First
Nations people. A blend of traditional northwest coast symbolism and
modern images conveys stories that celebrate life; remember sorrow,
pain, and betrayal; and, most powerfully, illustrate the humor and
ingenuity of resistance and the commitment to life and joy that emerges
out of anger and grief.

The book’s title comes from the cover image, Beat the Drum Slowly.
Here the skin from an animal and the wood from a tree are united in a
drum and live again, nature’s pacemaker. Writes Wilson, “During
times of happiness [the drum] beats faster and during times of sadness
it ‘beats slowly.’” This extraordinary book is a place to revisit
again and again.