Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton, an Inuvialiut knowledge keeper, residential school survivor, and co-author of the bestselling book Fatty Legs: A True Story, died June 2 at age 84. In a tribute, her publisher, Annick Press, said: "Young readers all over the world have been introduced to the harsh reality of residential schools through her books." Although she went by the the name Margaret when her stories were originally published, Pokiak-Fenton "would deepen her connection with her birth name, Olemaun, over the course of her later years," and by the publication of the 10th-anniversary edition of Fatty Legs, she began using Olemaun again, Annick Press noted, adding: "Her life's story, published two years before the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission began, would prove to be among the first of scores of heart-rending stories from fellow survivors."
Fatty Legs, its sequel A Stranger at Home, and young reader editions When I Was Eight and Not My Girl, have sold more than a quarter of a million copies and collected over 20 awards and distinctions. Christy Jordan-Fenton, who co-authored Pokiak-Fenton's books and is her daughter-in-law, observed: "I wanted my children to have no bigger hero than their grandmother." The 10th anniversary edition of Fatty Legs is available from Annick Press ($12.95).