We Are Grateful

"otsaliheliga - ojh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah -
we are grateful"

"When cool breezes blow and leaves fall,
we say otsaliheliga...

... as shell shakers dance all night around the fire, and burnt cedar's scent drifts upward during the Great New Moon Ceremony.

... as we clean our houses, wear new clothes, enjoy a feast, and forget old quarrels to welcome the Cherokee New Year."

Summary

Follow the Cherokee Nation's giving of thanks, as well as the practice of reflection on struggles, through the seasons beginning with the New Year in the fall.

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Traci Sorell

Sorell, an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, began writing children's books when she could not find culturally accurate books about Indigenous people to share with her son. We Are Grateful, her debut picture book, earned numerous honors and awards including the 2019 Orbis Pictus Honor Book and  the 2019 Sibert Honor Book awards.  Sorell's recent chapter book, Indian No More, is based on the 1954 federal decision to remove the tribal designation from Umpqua Grande Ronde tribe.

Frane Lessac

 Lessac has illustrated over forty children's books, drawing on her travels from New York to Caribbean island of Montserrat to Australia for inspiration. She lived with Sorell's tribe in order to experience the modern Cherokee's culture. Lessac's first book, My Little Island, was featured on Reading Rainbow. Since that time, she has earned numerous awards for her work including the 2010 Muriel Barwell Award given by the Children's Book Council of Australia for her contribution to children's literature.

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Relevance

Difficulties, challenges, suffering can harden the heart creating bitterness or they can be experienced in such a way that gratitude for blessings becomes sweeter.
 
In the midst of this pandemic, which seems as if it will never end, children have suffered loss on many levels. Learning about the Cherokee Nation's cultural traditions surrounding gratitude and reflection will help children to understand the experiences of loss and suffering are not insurmountable.

Learning Connections

• A Common Core State Standards-Aligned Discussion/Activity Guide for Grades PK-2, Gonzales, Charlesbridge Publisher
  
• Teaching Young Children About the Cherokee Trail Of Tears, Elmore, Yale-New Haven Teacher's Institute
• We Are Grateful, Official Pronunciation MP3s by Emilee Chavez, a Cherokee Nation citizen and language speaker; Charlesbridge Publisher
• We Are Grateful: Otsalihegia – Coloring Sheets, Frane Lessac

Early chapter book readers, 32 pages. Follow the Cherokee Nation's giving of thanks, as well as the practice of reflection on struggles, through the seasons beginning with the New Year in the fall.