Napesni Renegade

Napesni Renegade Synopsis

Award-winning Ojibwe author and poet Marcie R. Rendon tells a tale based on a true story about a wild bison known as Napesni. A beautiful picture book set in the Plains and perfect for 3-to-7-year-olds who love animals and are looking for stories with a theme of home.

Napesni likes to stamp his hooves and sniff and snort in the dry dust of Cheyenne River Reservation. That all changes, though, when ranchers capture him and bring him to Minnesota instead. Sad, lonely, and homesick, Napesni searches for his family and home in this adventurous story.

Once safely located and protected, Napesni finds a new home through the Red Lake Reservation Buffalo Herd, an organization with the ultimate goal of restoring bison to their previous numbers. Napesni Renegade introduces a story based on true events to young readers in this lyrical and gorgeously illustrated picture book. A stark reminder of the ongoing impact of European settlement in the western United States.

Animal populations have been negatively impacted for decades, and these herds continue to be key to the survival of Native populations both spiritually and physically today.