When Dr. Niigaan Sinclair recently spoke to Friesens’ Yearbook and Trade Book teams, his message landed close to home: stories are how we understand who we are, where we come from, and where we are going.
For a company built around helping people bring books and yearbooks to life, that idea connects directly to the work we do every day. From the conversations our sales teams have with customers to the stories our marketing teams share about projects, products, and people, storytelling is at the heart of how we build relationships, earn trust, and help customers see what is possible.
That perspective makes Sinclair’s work especially meaningful to us. An Anishinaabe writer, educator, commentator, and public intellectual from Peguis First Nation in Manitoba, Dr. Sinclair has become one of Canada’s most influential voices on Indigenous issues, reconciliation, history, and identity. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Manitoba, a frequent commentator on APTN, CBC, and CTV, and an award-winning author whose work challenges readers to think deeply about the stories that shape our communities and country.
At Friesens, we’ve had the privilege of printing significant books connected to Dr. Sinclair’s work, including Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre and Who We Are: Four Questions for a Life and a Nation.
REIMAGINING CANADA THROUGH THE STORY OF WINNIPEG
Published in 2024, Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre is Dr. Sinclair’s acclaimed debut nonfiction book and winner of the 2024 Governor General’s Literary Award for Nonfiction. Drawing on years of newspaper columns and essays, the collection explores Indigenous life, history, community, and resilience through the lens of Winnipeg, a city that Sinclair sees as central to Canada’s future.
The book grew partly from Sinclair’s reaction to a national magazine article that labelled Winnipeg as Canada’s most racist city. “I thought that was the stupidest thing I ever read in my life,” Sinclair said. “Every Canadian city has racism in it. There’s no gold medal for racism.”
Rather than accepting that narrative, Sinclair wanted to highlight something different.
“I wanted to point out that Winnipeg is not the place of the biggest racism. Winnipeg is the place of the most solutions,” he explained. “It’s the place in which there is more solutions here than almost anywhere else in the country to deal with racism.”
That perception shapes Wînipêk. While the book confronts difficult realities including colonialism, injustice, and systemic racism, it also celebrates the people, communities, and movements creating the change. The result is a collection that is both candid and hopeful, rooted in the belief that understanding the past can help build a better future.
STORIES THAT POINT TOWARDS TOMORROW
For Sinclair, storytelling is never just about documenting history. “Everything Indigenous peoples do is about tomorrow, not yesterday,” he said, recalling wisdom shared by former Treaty Commissioner Jamie Wilson.
That philosophy runs throughout his writing. He views stories as tools for action, connection, and possibility. “Story is about the invocation of movement,” Sinclair said. “It’s about bringing forward actions to produce better relationships and probably, most of all, story is about dreaming. It’s about giving hope.”
He believes stories give people the power to imagine a different future and help bring it into existence.
CONTINUING A LEGACY
Sinclair’s commitment to storytelling is also reflected in Who We Are: Four Questions for a Life and Nation, the memoir and oral history of his father, the late Honourable Murray Sinclair. Written with Sara Sinclair and Niigaan Sinclair, the book captures the life, wisdom, and legacy of one of Canada’s most influential Indigenous leaders.
The memoir traces Murray Sinclair’s journey from his childhood in Manitoba to his groundbreaking legal career, his leadership of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and his service as a Senator. Throughout the book, readers are invited to reflect on the four questions that guided his life: Who am I? Where do I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?
Those questions are deeply connected to themes Niigan Sinclair explores in his own work. As he explained during a discussion about storytelling, stories help people answer those four questions.
BOOKS THAT MATTER
Both Wînipêk and Who We Are invite readers into important conversations about history, identity, reconciliation, and belonging. They challenge assumptions, celebrate resistance, and remind us that stories are not simply records of the past, they are toopls for shaping the future.
That idea is central to Niigaan Sinclair’s work. Reflecting on the purpose of storytelling, he said: “Stories give us a reason to be.”
He believes that stories help us understand where we come from, make sense of who we are, and imagine where we might go next. Through personal reflection, historical insight, and compelling narratives, Sinclair invites readers to participate in conversations that shape the future of Canada.
Friesens is honoured to have printed both Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre and Who We Are: Four Questions for a Life and Nation, books that continue to inspire reflection, dialogue, and understanding.
