Coming home!

A homecoming 

If you're not from the Prairie, you don't know me. You can't know me. You see...

My hair's mostly wind - my eyes filled with grit. My skin's white then brown - my lips chapped then split. I'd lain on the priairie and heard grasses sigh. I've stared at the vast open bowl of the sky. I've seen every castle and face in the clouds. My home is the prairie and for that I'm so proud. 

If you're not from the prairie you don't know my soul. You've not fought my blizzards - you don't know my cold. You don't know my mind - nor ever my heart. Unless deep within you there's somehow a part. A part of these things I say that I know. The cold and the wind, the ice and the snow. But say that you have and then we'll be one. For we will have shared that same Prairie Sun. 

Some people know me through my books. If You're not from the Prairie is my most known. Some, though significantly fewer, know me from my time in Regina or maybe even earlier days...from my time as Bert and Cecile's boy (or Diane's little brother) in Gravelbourg. My late Father was known as Bert although his name was Wilbrod ad name that was, for many, too hard to pronounce.

Even though it was somewhat imortalized in the lyrics in Johnny Cash's hit song, I've been Everywhere, few know of my home town Gravelbourg or of the many other little towns near mine. Several of these great towns are now ghost towns but were once the homes to many of my friends. Towns like Bateman and Meyronneare are simply gone. They are no more. How can that after having boasted such great baseball players as the legendary Leslie Bonnet. How about Coderre (half the town was made up of Coderres and could they ever play ball) and Courval? Mazenod? Some exist on google maps. Does that mean that they really do exist?   

But Gravelbourg (population today of about 1100 as compared to the 1600 of my youth) remains much as it was even after having lost my high school College Mathieu to a tragic fire. This merits a little background. 

The provincial legislature had authorized a college for Gravelbourg in December 1917 (the year of my late father's birth). It was intended as a boarding school to ensure the survival of the French Canadian inheritance in western Canada. The College promoted classical and technical training in French, and by 1924, it had also become affiliated with Ottawa University and offered high school diplomas and Bachelor of Arts degrees. Though all my studies were in French, all but English, it was no longer affiliated with Ottawa leaving us on our own to find post secondary opportunities. 

At the tender age of 4, I began school at the Jardin Notre Dame. There, I was taught by Oblate nuns until I moved to the main College where I was taught by Oblate Priests. I graduated high school and began my university education at 15, not recommended btw. 

The College's historic main building (the large light roof in the picture above) was tragically destroyed by fire in 1988; however, a new, modern campus was quickly constructed and ready for operation by 1989. Following the amendment of the Education Act in 1993 to allow for the management of Francophone schools by Fransaskois, French education would become much more accessible in francophone communities. The recruitment of young people for the college was affected, and Collège Mathieu began looking at other forms of student recruitment for its programs.

In 2003-2004, an agreement was reached between Collège Mathieu and the Francophone school division for the latter to take over the academic programming of the institution. The following year, the integration was complete when the Francophone school division took possession of the main building to continue French-language education for secondary students. École Mathieu is part of the Conseil des écoles fransaskoises and offers education in French from preschool to grade 12. 

College Mathieu is now the only French-language post-secondary technical institution in Saskatchewan. 

The post office remains as I knew it, even without Rose and Simon Mailhot whom we all knew and loved. Mail delivery didn't exist. We went to the post office with the key to our small mailbox. In the event of a parcel, either Rose or Simon would have to help out. I was blessed knowing them in later years and was at Simon's bedside the night before he died. They were the best of the best. 

The cathedral is magnificent and worth the drive just to see it. It is stunning! The interior is hand painted much as many of the most beautiful throughout Europe. The models used were locals which in itself is a story worth hearing.

I had best give this a rest as I could go on for days. There are buildings I'd like to talk about. And people...oh my...people. There are people I knew that might no longer exist, although in many cases, they and/or their families live on. Couture, Chouinard, Lizee, Fauchon, Legault, Thetrault, Carriere, Chabot, Tardiff, Wong and Shervan...not to forget the first protestant I was to meet, Donny Hamilton. 

Enough already. Now on to my homecoming. 

I expect to be additing to this however as of today, here's what it looks like. 

For a more complete look at my calendar, click here.

Good luck and good health.... 

A Masterplan for Teachers/Educators

 Stories, stories and more stories 

Stories at home, in the classroom, in the car, at the office, in the board rooms, at the grocery store... We are all story tellers because we have all lived our own stories. 

Educators, rely on stories. Teach through stories. Hear and cultivate the stories of your students. 

There is little if anything as important than our individual stories. Our birth, growing up and our aging reflects who we are and why we are who we are. 

The reason If You're not from the Prairie is my best selling book is clear - it tells my story. It also tells the story of many who grew up where and how I did. I was born and raised...on the prairie. 

Over time, I came to realize that there was more to be told. I had overlooked a number of elements that made me into the person I am today. I worked to right the wrong with the assistance of artist Peter Shostak.

Prairie Born is Out of Print but the story lives on through our book. It is there if you look hard enough. Amazon. ABE Books. Russel Books and the many used book stores and book sellers. 

For now...

"This book offers a near-perfect match between words and pictures, poem and paintings. Hopefully, this collaboration is not their last." ...the independent publisher (U.S.) "And the prairie continues to live in my heart It's much more than memories that tell me apart It's the wind and the sun, the cold and the snow Only things that a child of the prairie will know." If I had a penny for each time I spoke Of cold howling winds, of deep drifting snow Of darkness of winter on route to the rink Of so many memories, I smile as I think Knowing full well that others who've never lived there Will nod and listen but don't really care As "Mornin', fine day" means nothing much more To me it means ..." ...taken from Prairie Born (ISBN 1-55143-092-4) REVIEWS: "This book offers a near-perfect match between words and pictures, poem and paintings. Bouchard and Shostak explore together the days of a small town somewhere in the nation's heartland. Prairie Born is Bouchard's 12th book and Shostak's third. Hopefully, this collaboration is not the last." Independent Publisher (U.S.A.) "...a companion volume to If You're Not From the Prairie, this book is sure to have adults reminiscing. It would make an excellent gift to share with a child or a grandchild." Calgary Harold "...the poetry is sentimental in the best sense of the word. Each mood piece is accompanied on the opposite page with stunningly beautiful paintings by Peter Shostak. It may take the form of a picture book, but the audience ranges from junior right through to adult." Emergency Librarian - Best Canadian List "The ability to create memorable images is Shostak’s strong suit, and the scene on the cover of Prairie Born - a game of road hockey on a snowy street near a Ukrainian Church - is a stunner." Victoria Times Colonist "This book is a beautifully illustrated poem about the passing of seasons and their effect on the people and the land around them. The poem helps us understand the value of growing up on the prairie... I recommend you read it..." Rural Missouri Magazine

"...Bouchard's poetic narrative takes the form of a stream of memories; the writer uses the past tense throughout with the exception of one repeating section in present tense which acts as a sort of chorus. The resulting sing-song rhythm will appeal to young listeners, and will make Prairie Born a great read-aloud favorite." Christian Library Journal "Dave Bouchard has once again truly captured the feeling of time and place in Prairie Born. The poetic, flowing text is beautifully complemented by wonderful paintings by Peter Shostak." OLA Best Bets 1997 In this follow-up to the 1994 bestseller If You're Not From the Prairie, award-winning author David Bouchard has teamed up with well-known artist Peter Shostak to once again explore in verse and image the prairie experience that is so cherished in the memories of countless Canadians. Prairie Born focuses on the passing of the seasons - spring, summer, fall and winter - and their effect on the people and the landscape. This is a book that will stir warm memories for all those "prairie born" scattered across North America. AWARDS: * 1997 Canadian Children's Book Center Our Choice Award * OLA Best Bet for 1997 - The Ontario Library Association Canadian Materials Committee consists of librarians from across Ontario. The titles included in this annual list of recommended new Canadian titles are selected based on their distinctiveness, quality and appeal to children. * 1998 "Selected as Outstanding" by the Parent Council AUTHOR'S COMMENT: When I was asked to write a sequel to If You're Not From the Prairie, it was suggested that I write something on the Harvest. I had to chuckle, as I know little about the harvest. My mother and father were hair dressers. No - I would write a sequel, but it would be about the thing that we prairie folk ALL share! It would be about that which makes us unique and special. I would again write about nature! I would write about our seasons! And yes - I went out and found Peter as I thought that his paintings would work very well with the spirit of my message.

Saskatchewan Cultural Days 2026

June 2026, NOW is the time to plan for Saskatchewan Cultural Days.

My calendar is wide open. We are booking for the fall. 

I speaking to students, of course. But I also present to countless other venues -

 

*Teacher Conferences

*Parent conferences

*Town Hall gatherings (Naicam's 100th anniversary)

*Powwows

*Universities

*Community colleges 

*Of course in both English and/or en français 

My roots in Saskatchewan are deep.

I was born in Quill Lake (in a hospital that no longer exists). My home town of St. Front had no hospital (and still doesn't). 

My Bouchard/Savard Grandparents moved their seventeen children from Quebec to Beauchamp to St. Front. This picture shows my late Father in my Grandmother's arms. My Grandmother was Innu. Not surprisingly, I don't have a picture of all the children together. 

Their first home in Saskatchewan was  Beauchamp (...my Father was born there), a tiny Métis community that no longer exists. This by historian Laurier Gareau.

"Situé dans la région de Spalding, le village de Beauchamp est devenu, en 1904, le berceau de la famille Beauchamp puis plus tard, celui des familles Lemaire et Amery, originaires de France. Beauchamp a également attiré un grand nombre de familles métisses des États-Unis, souligne l’historien Laurier Gareau. C’est notamment le cas des familles Morin, Frachette, Bouchard, Brandamores

 (Brindamour), Lépine, Pilon, Marion, Fortin et Perron." 

'Located in the Spalding region, the village of Beauchamp became the ancestral home of the Beauchamp family in 1904, and later of the Lemaire and Amery families, originally from France. Beauchamp also attracted a large number of Métis families from the United States, notes historian Laurier Gareau. This is particularly true of the Morin, Frachette, Bouchard, Brandamores (Brindamour), Lépine, Pilon, Marion, Fortin, and Perron families." 

In 1955, my parents, sister and I moved to Gravelbourg where I spent my youth among priests, pianos and blowing snow. Looking back, it was a good place to grow up.

 

Three degrees at the University of Regina turned into 17 years teaching in Regina (three of these were in Lahr, Germany). 

As did so many others, I moved to BC where I have lived since 1990. 

And still...the Prairie lives strong in me...

...from my childhood days on the farm...

...to acting in The Trial of Louis Riel...

to years of teaching...

...a short political stint

...all that leading up to the next stage - the West Coast. 

And here I am today constantly talking about the prairie and looking forward to going home. Go figure!

The Holy Trinity

The Haudenosaunee speak of a man who was born to a virgin, a man whose canoe was made of stone and a man who was known to have changed and saved the world. This man, Peacemaker, created wampum and gifted the Haudenosaunee with the Great Law. 

Peacemaker's story is too obvious not to see the similarities with the Christians' Jesus. 

Another story I find interesting (and another story I retold) is Raven and Whale. It is perhaps not as obvious as Peacemaker's story but you can easily see the similarity with Jonah's being swallowed by a whale (again, in the Hebrew bible).  

If you find these similarities interesting, let me tell of the concept of Holy Trinity from the perspective of the Inuit. 

The Holy Trinity consists of God the Father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit. God, the Father is usually depicted as a bearded older (white) gentleman. God the son looks the way the Bible would have you see Jesus, a handsome 30 yr. old white man. God the Holy Spirit is usually depicted as a white dove. 

Among the Inuit, if a picture of the Holy Trinity existed (and there are large numbers of Christians in the north), God the Father would be a bright ball of light. His/her power is such that humans could not look upon them. God the son would be a being neither male nor female and they would be beautiful, kind and loving. 

God the Holy Spirit would be Raven. As with the Christian Dove, Raven has the power of God because Raven is one third of the Holy Trinity. Raven is God himself. 

And Raven is often the intermediary between God and humans and thus the thing of legends. 

You can now see why Raven is revered above all others; flyers, four leggeds and swimmers. 

In Inuit mythology, Tulugaak, known as the Raven God, plays a central role in creation and spiritual balance.

Represented as a powerful and benevolent being, Tulugaak embodies wisdom and connection to the spiritual realm.

Inuit traditions revere Tulugaak as a guide and protector, emphasizing respect for nature and spiritual harmony.

Inuit mythology originates from the rich cultural traditions of the indigenous Inuit peoples, blending spiritual beliefs and storytelling passed down through generations. These myths and legends form a vital part of Inuit identity and worldview, shaping their understanding of the natural and supernatural worlds.

Inuit mythology highlights the interconnectedness between humans and the natural world, emphasizing respect and harmony with the environment. Gods and spirits in Inuit belief systems personify natural forces and elements, underscoring the intrinsic link between spirituality and the land.