112 pages
Published Jan. 7, 2019 by Conundrum Press.
Growing up in Haines Junction, YT, artist Cole Pauls performed in a traditional song and dance group called the Dakwäkãda Dancers. During that time, Pauls encountered the ancestral language of Southern Tutchone. Driven by a desire to help revitalize the language, he created Dakwäkãda Warriors, a bilingual comic about two earth protectors saving the world from evil pioneers and cyborg sasquatches.
Pauls’ Elders supported him throughout the creation process by offering consultation and translation. The resulting work is a whimsical young adult graphic novel that offers an accessible allegory of colonialism.
I love everything about this graphic novel. The concept of using the project as a tool for indigenous language preservation is what drew me in, but Cole Pauls is also such an incredibly talented illustrator.
