Table Of ContentRRR
ichichich
ardardard
V V V
ananan
C C C
amamam
ppp
AAA BBBlllaaannnkkkeeettt
AAA B BBlallaannnkkkeeet tto oof ffB BBuuuttttetteerrflrflflieiieesss e eexxxppplolloorrereesss t htthheee j ojjoouuurrnrnneeeyyy o oof ffS SShhhiniinnooobbbuuu, ,,a aa m mmyyyssstetteerriroiioouuusss s sstrttraraannngggeeerr r
wwwhhhooo v vvisiissitiisttss F FFooorrtr ttS SSmmmitiihtthh, ,,N NNWWWTTT, ,,t ottoo r rereetrttrireiieevvveee h hhisiiss f affaammmiliiyllyy’s’’ss s ssaaammmuuurraraai iis ssuuuitii tto oof ffa aarrmrmmooorr ra aannnddd
ssswwwooorrdrdd f rffroroommm t htthheee l olloocccaaal llm mmuuussseeeuuummm. ..W WWhhheeennn h hheee d ddisiisscccooovvveeerrsrss t htthhaaat tth hhisiiss g ggrraraannndddfaffaathtthheeerr’rs’’ss s sswwwooorrdrdd ooofff
BBBuuutttttteeerrrflflfliiieeesss
hhhaaasss b bbeeeeeennn l olloossst tti niinn a aa p ppoookkkeeerr rg ggaaammmeee t ottoo t htthheee m mmaaannn t htthheeeyyy c ccaaallll ll“ ““BBBeeennnnnnyyy t htthheee B BBaaannnkkk,”,,”” h hheee s sseeetsttss
ooouuut ttt ottoo r rereetrttrireiieevvveee i tii ttw wwitiihtthh t htthheee h hheeelpllpp o oof ffa aa y yyooouuunnnggg b bboooyyy, ,,S SSooonnnnnnyyy, ,,a aannnddd h hhisiiss g ggrraraannndddmmmooothtthheeer.rr ..
TTTooogggeeethtthheeer,rr ,,t htthheeeyyy f affaaccceee B BBeeennnnnnyyy a aannnddd h hhisiiss m mmeeennn, ,,T TTooorrcrcchhhyyy, ,,S SSfeffeennn a aannnddd t htthheee g ggiaiiaannnt ttk kknnnooowwwnnn a aasss
FFFlillniinnccchhh, ,,a aannnddd c ccooommmeee t ottoo a aannn u uunnneeexxxpppeeeccctetteeddd r rereeaaalillziizzaaatittoiioonnn...
TTThhhisiiss g ggrraraappphhhiciicc n nnooovvveeel,ll ,,b bbeeeaaauuutittfiiuffuullllyllyy i liilllulluussstrttraraatetteeddd b bbyyy S SScccoootttt ttB BB. ..H HHeeennndddeeerrsrssooonnn, ,,e eexxxppplolloorrereesss t htthheee
gggrraraaccceee o oof fff affaammmiliiyllyy a aannnddd o oof fft rttruruussstittniinnggg t htthheee p ppooowwweeerr ro oof fft htthheee s sspppiriirirtii ttw wwooorrlrdlldd... RRRiciicchhhaaarrrddd V VVaaannn C CCaaammmppp
AAA
B B B
lanlanlan IlIlIlullluusstsrttarraatetteeddd b bbyyy
RNRNRNWicWiWicchThhaTT,aa r,,i dr sriidsd s Vt hVtVtahheaanee nna Ca a uCCuautahtamthhmomoporp rp,ro , ,oa of a af ft p h tptphrheorreeo oun unudnodod ovm v vemmeeel elelTm TmTmhbhhebbeee eeLr LrLreo eoesof sfssft shstetheheere re rB D BBDDloelloeoegsgsgssrisrsrebiiebebd (d d T((( TaT((laiallclisilclcshsohhooo oao ) a )a )N f NeNffaeeaaataatittuotitiuouornernrn eef rfif f orfirfilomomllmmmm) ,)F) ,,FfF o offoooorurturur ttS r r S S mmmitiihtthh, ,, ket Bofket Bket Bofof SSScccooottttt tB BB. ..H HHeeennndddeeerrrsssooonnn
uuu
cccooolllellleeccctittoiioonnnsss o oof ffs sshhhooorrtr tts sstottoorirreiieesss, ,,i niinnccclulluudddiniinnggg N NNigiigghhht ttM MMooovvveeesss. ..H HHeee h hhaaasss p ppuuubbblilsliisshhheeeddd c cchhhilidillddrerreennn’s’’ss b bbooooookkksss tterfltterfltterfl
aaannnddd b bbaaabbbyyy b bbooooookkksss, ,,i niinnccclulluudddiniinnggg L LLitiitttlttellee Y YYooouuu. ..H HHeee i siiss a aalsllssooo a aauuuthtthhooor rro oof fft htthheee g ggrarraappphhhiciicc n nnooovvveeel llT TThhhrerreeeee iesiesies
FFFeeeaaathtthheeersrrss ( i((niinn E EEnnnggglilsliisshhh, ,,B BBuuussshhh C CCrerreeeee, ,,a aannnddd D DDeeennneee).))..
SSScccoootttt ttB BB. ..H HHeeennndddeeersrrssooonnn h hhaaasss w wwooorkrrkkeeeddd a aasss a aannn i lililullluussstrttarraatottoor rrf offoor rrc ccooommmiciiccsss, ,,p ppooorrtrrttarraaitiiuttuurerree, ,,a aannnddd
aaadddvvveeerrtrittsiissiniinnggg a aarrtr.tt ..H HHeee i siiss a aauuuthtthhooor/rri//lililullluussstrttarraatottoor rro oof fft htthheee s ssccci-iifi--fifi/f//affaannntattaasssyyy c ccooommmiciicc, ,,T TThhheee C CChhhrorroonnniciicclelleesss o oof ff
EEErarraa a aannnddd i lililullluussstrttarraatetteeddd t wttwwooo c ccooommmiciiccsss f offoor rrt htthheee C CCaaannnaaadddiaiiaannn A AAirii rrF FFooorcrrcceee’s’’ss F FFooor rrV VVaaalolloouuur rrs sseeerirreiieesss, ,,t htthheee
bbbeeessststtsseeelllillnliinnggg g ggrarraappphhhiciicc n nnooovvveeel lls sseeerirreiieesss 7 77 G GGeeennneeerarraatittoiioonnnsss, ,,s sseeelelleeccctetteeddd t itttiilttelleesss f rfforroommm t htthheee T TTaaalelleesss F FFrorroommm
BBBigiigg S SSpppiriiirrtii tts sseeerirreiieesss, ,,a aannnddd, ,,m mmooossst ttr erreeccceeennntlttylly,y ,,t htthheee g ggrarraappphhhiciicc n nnooovvveeel llB BBeeettttytty:y ::T TThhheee H HHeeelelleennn B BBeeettttyttyy
OOOsssbbbooornrrnneee S SStottooryrry.y ..
SC 215656-2 CC2015.indd 1 Spine 2015-10-02 9:26 AM
The red line shows where we will trim
A Blanket
of
Butterflies
Richard Van Camp
Illustrated by
Scott B. Henderson
25326-PM-BoB-interior.indd 1 2015-09-25 2:58 PM
© 2015 by Richard Van Camp
Excerpts from this publication may be reproduced under licence from Access Copyright, or with the express
written permission of HighWater Press, or as permitted by law.
All rights are otherwise reserved, and no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, scanning,
recording or otherwise, except as specifically authorized.
Acknowledgments: A Blanket of Butterflies could not have been written without the guidance and grace of the
following people: Marie-Christine Aubrey, Shelagh Rogers, Dr. Robert Somerville, Larry Lee, my wife, Keavy
Martin and our son, Edzazii Van Camp. James Croizier, mahsi cho for sharing with me the story about a real
samurai suit of armor at the Northern Life Museum and Cultural Centre in our hometown of Fort Smith,
NWT. Scott B. Henderson, your work astonishes me. Working with you is magic. I am so very grateful to
you all for guiding me in this journey. Mahsi cho!
— RVC
HighWater Press is an imprint of Portage & Main Press.
Printed and bound in Canada by Friesens
Print ISBN: 978-1-55379-548-3
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Van Camp, Richard, 1971-, author
A blanket of butterflies / written by Richard Van Camp ; illustrated
by Scott B. Henderson.
ISBN 978-1-55379-721-0
1. Graphic novels. I. Henderson, Scott B., illustrator II. Title.
PN6733.V36B53 2015 j741.5’971 C2015-905570-9
HighWater Press gratefully acknowledges for their financial support of the Government of Canada through
the Canada Book Fund, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Book Publishing Tax Credit, and the
Manitoba Department of Culture, Heritage, & Tourism.
Exceptional Indigenous Writing from Across Canada
100-318 McDermot Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3A 0A2
Toll-Free: 1-800-667-9673
www.highwaterpress.com
25326-PM-BoB-interior.indd 2 2015-09-25 2:58 PM
25326-PM-BoB-interior.indd 1 2015-09-25 2:58 PM
A Blanket
of
Butterflies
25326-PM-BoB-interior.indd 2 2015-09-25 2:58 PM
25326-PM-BoB-interior.indd 3 2015-09-25 2:58 PM
25326-PM-BoB-interior.indd 4 2015-09-25 2:58 PM
25326-PM-BoB-interior.indd 5 2015-09-25 2:58 PM
25326-PM-BoB-interior.indd 6 2015-09-25 2:58 PM
25326-PM-BoB-interior.indd 7 2015-09-25 2:58 PM
