The Adventures of Sajo and Her Beaver People

Book excerpt: First published in 1935, “The Adventures of Sajo and her Beaver People” is a children's adventure novel by British author Grey Owl. With beautiful illustrations also by Grey Owl, the story is based on the real-life experiences of a young Ojibwe Indian girl called Sajo and her older brother who adopt two baby beavers, Chilawee and Chikanee, in an attempt to save them from fur traders. An instant bestseller, it was translated into numerous European languages including Polish and Russian. Archibald Stansfeld Belaney (1888–1938), also known as Grey Owl, was a British fur trapper, conservationist, and writer. In life, he pretended to be a First Nations person, but it was later discovered that he was in fact not Indigenous—revelations that greatly tarnished his reputation. Other notable works by this author include: “The Men of the Last Frontier”, “Pilgrims of the Wild”, and “Tales of an Empty Cabin”. This classic work is being republished now in a new edition with specially curated introductory material.