5 First Nations horror books to check out

With the spooky season upon us, we have an opportunity to reflect on and remember that many of the traditions associated with this time of year have Indigenous origins. For example, the Day of the Dead is a tradition that began in the 1500s, but which is rooted in Aztec spiritual beliefs which predate Spanish occupation of the Americas  and is now a blend between Catholicism and Aztec beliefs – a celebration of ancestors and others who have gone before us. Similarly, Halloween is an old tradition born of Celtic and Catholic practices.

We, as Indigenous peoples, have always been telling scary stories. I grew up with them myself.  These stories reflect our knowledge in something beyond the here and now.  Such stories also often contain lessons about how to exist ( in relation to each other, the land and to the other beings within this plane and the next). For settlers, this should be a reminder too that Indigenous people are not your inspiration for a costume. 

Indigenous storytellers have different relationships to Country, history, ancestors and spirits, and this can inform the way we tell stories. These stories reflect these different philosophies while also embracing the horror genre. Indigenous ghost stories are the kind that haunt you – keeping you awake at night. It is a genre unto itself. 

Image from Allen and Unwin

Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina (Australia)

Catching Teller Crow is a story about Beth Teller, a girl who died, and her dad- a man who is drowning is his grief. Beth’s dad is the only person who can still see her. They become embroiled in a murder mystery. But, as they unravel it, they uncover many of the layers of grief and loss and colonial violence. Interwoven with this mystery is a story about kinship and connection.  It’s a stunning novel which unpacks trauma and the way that the mind copes with it.

The Sentence  by Louise Erdrich (USA)

The Sentence follows Tookie, a woman in her 30s who is convicted in her 30s for transporting a dead body for a friend without realising that the body had cocaine taped to its armpits. Upon her release from prison, Tookie goes on to work at an independent bookstore and is haunted by its most annoying customer, Flora ( who recently started identifying as Indigenous).  This book is about ghosts, and not just the spiritual kind. It’s also about the things that haunt us – the ghosts of our past selves.

Image from Orion Books

Empire of the Wild by Cherie Dimaline  (Canada)

The protagonist of the Empire of the Wild is Joan, a woman whose husband, Victor, went missing over a year ago. When she finds him after stumbling across a revivalist church, she’s propelled into a dark mystery featuring the Rougarou creature. This wolf likes to devour the minds of those whose bodies they inhabit. This story is also about culture and the maintenance of that culture through storytelling. This book is available for listening on audible and is probably even more scary to listen to.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (USA)

This is a beautifully written fiction book featuring all things supernatural and strange. There are ghosts, monsters, magic and even vampires. Elatsoe (Ellie)  is the formidable main character who can summon ghosts, a skill she inherited through her Lipan Apache family. When Trevor (her cousin) dies in what appears to be a car accident, his ghost appears to her briefly, begging that she protect his wife and child. Ellie must call upon her strong lineage to rid her ancestral land of an ancient curse.

Image from University of Queensland Press

Ghost bird by Lisa Fuller  (Australia) 

Ghost bird is  a page turning young adult novel – set in a 500 person town in rural Queensland.  The plot centres around two twin Aboriginal twin girls, Stacey and Laney.  One night, Laney goes missing.  After lacey goes missing, Stacey starts  having dark and terrifying dreams about her twin– which lead her to the understanding that Laney is still alive. Her journey to find her sister, unravels knowledge of old lore about the place that she lives and about the creature that is holding Laney captive.

There are many more books I would have loved to include in this list and there are so many other sub genres of Indigenous fiction that would truly haunt you at night. But that’s another story for another day.