Do or do not. There is no try. So says Yoda, my favourite Jedi Master. Why Yoda, you may ask? Ok, besides being a BIG Star Wars fan, there is a lot we can take from this. The way I look at it, the message is to do our best in whatever we set our mind to. There is value in attempting something, however our “try” cannot be half-hearted – we must remain committed to see it through. By trying something that does not have our full consideration, we are most likely to fail. Therefore, to reach our goals, we must do. The above thought relates this issue’s theme of “Catching Dreams.” At the university, an
INSIDE
10. JP RESTOULE:
ambitious plan is in the works to improve educational opportunities for Aboriginal people. This is necessary for our communities, and its members, to grow. It is an ambitious dream, but one that needs a full commitment for it to be realized. If not, many doors will remain closed. We need to start with a dream and do whatever it takes to make it a reality. We need to be active, willing to take some (calculated) risks and realize that it will take time. There is no room for “should’ve, could’ve, or might”, as according to Yoda, this is the meaning of try.
Building a brighter future, one bright mind at a time
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Do your best. If you do not succeed at first, learn from it. But, if you succeed… just think of the possibilities.
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THIS ISSUE
8. A STUDENT LIFE:
11. CIIMAAN:
Academic studies can help you discover many things. For Tyler Pennock, they helped him find his way home for the first time.
ON THE COVER Not only is cover girl Rebeka Tabobondung a contributing writer in this issue, she is also an FNH alumni, former president of the student council, receipient of the President’s Award and author of the FNH Strategic Plan.
Sometimes teaching the words means translating them first. Indigenous language makes a comeback at U of T
ADVISORY COUNCIL: Lee Maracle, Daniel Heath Justice
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Printed on recycled paper FNH MAGAZINE
For one week each year the campus comes alive with the sound of drums and fiddles, and the spotlight settles around the people and passions at First Nations House.
16. BALANCING ACT:
Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, Truth and Wisdom
Finding a way to fit studies, employment, community and personal time into a schedule is a hectic life. Throw two energetic boys, family obligations and mom duty into the mix and you’ve got Stacey Tobey’s life.
Chi Meegwetch for your inspiration and dedicated work.
FNH MAGAZINE Published by First Nations House, University of Toronto, 563 Spadina Avenue, Toronto ON, M5S J7Z
14. BECOMING AWARE:
This issue is dedicated to Keren Rice whose commitment to First Nations House, Aboriginal Studies, and the Center for Aboriginal Initiatives has truly eminated the Seven Grandfather/Grandmother teachings.
Volume 1, Issue 2 DIRECTOR: Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo EDITOR: Cherie Dimaline DESIGN & ART DIRECTION: David Shilling MAAIINGAN Productions CONTRIBUTING: Candace Brunette Christine McFarlane
Rebeka Tobobondung Jorge Antonio Vallejos Giles Benaway Michael White Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm Eileen Antone Mimi Gellman PHOTOGRAPHERS: Robert Snache David Shilling
Aaron Mason William Porter Cat Criger Michael White COVER ASSISTANTS Eva Tabobondung Lily Martins EDITORIAL: Jessicka Loduca Brendan Martyn
WEBMASTER: David Shilling MAAIINGAN Productions www.maaiingan.com PRINTER: LM Print Solutions, lmprintsolutions@rogers.com VOLUME 1, Issue 2
FNH accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials. FNH assumes no responsibility for content or advertisements. Submissions: unsolicited manuscripts will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped return envelope.
To request your copy of FNH Magazine, contact us at: www.fnhmagazine.com. SUBMISSIONS: If you are interested in writing for FNH magazine, please contact us at: editor@fnhmagazine.com
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Written by: Rebeka Tabobondung This spring the University of Toronto undertook a visioning and consulting process to develop a three-year action plan around access, retention, and completion of Aboriginal students focusing on the directions the University should be taking to strengthen these areas. In consultation with the University of Toronto administration, the planning process was co-initiated by First Nations House (FNH), the Centre for Aboriginal Initiatives (CAI), and with the encouragement and support of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU). The purpose of the plan is to enable shared decision-making among communities to improve postsecondary education outcomes for Aboriginal learners at The University of Toronto. At the onset of the strategic planning an Advisory Committee was struck that included representatives from senior administration on all three campuses as well as faculty and students. Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo, Director of First Nations House, and Keren Rice, Director of The Centre for Aboriginal Initiatives, led the community engagement strategy and, through Jill Matus, Vice Provost Students, extended invitations to deans who named the representatives who formed the Advisory Committee. They also invited First Nations House resident Elder, Dr. Grafton Antone, and retired resident Elder, Dr. Lillian McGregor to serve as advisors as well as participate in the engagement process. Recent Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) M.A. graduate and member of Wasauksing First Nation, Rebeka Tabobondung was hired to coordinate and facilitate the consultation process as well as author the report. The report entitled, Epiitiiyan translates from Ojibwa to Where We Are On Our Journey. It speaks to the moment when one is journeying down a path and reflects on where one has traveled in order to choose the path ahead. Epiitiiyan: Aboriginal Presence and Educational Excellence at the University of Toronto lays out a vision for the growth and development of Aboriginal programs across the University of Toronto. It provides an opportunity for the University community to learn more about the needs of the Aboriginal community on its campuses, identify University and community stakeholders and together define a common vision to improve access, retention and completion of Aboriginal learners at the University of Toronto. The strategic planning was undertaken at a time of positive opportunity. The growth and demand of an Aboriginal presence across The University of Toronto is on the rise and the University outlines a larger plan for long-term success in its strategic report, Towards 2030: A Third Century of Excellence at the University of Toronto. EIGHT TRI-CAMPUS SHARING CIRCLES A series of eight Sharing Circles were held across all three campuses with the objective of making connections and consulting within the broad University of Toronto community as well as the larger community for the purpose of developing a three-year action plan. The Sharing Circles targeted and invited participation from First Nations, MĂŠtis, Inuit students, and non-Aboriginal students, faculty, and university administrators on all three campuses based on the following six priority areas:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Career development and leadership Aboriginal student support Outreach within the U of T community Outreach within the larger GTA community Academic development and enhancement Research and community development
Robert Snache
There was a positive response to all of the Sharing Circles in which over 50 participants attended, representing a broad cross-section of past and present students, faculty, university administrators, and community members. Many of the participants shared information about Aboriginal initiatives that are currently underway or in development within the University. Participants also expressed interest in the development of future initiatives. In the Sharing Circles stakeholders were identified and relationships with faculty, university administrators, and students were established with the goal of improving access, retention, and completion of Aboriginal learners. Many of the participants shared their educational goals, dreams, and struggles with one another as they also identified systemic barriers that contribute to difficulties with access, retention, and completion. TOWARDS A SHARED VISION Based on the feedback obtained from the Sharing Circles and in consultation with the Aboriginal PostSecondary Education & Training Advisory Committee, the following objectives of the action plan were formed.
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Objectives 1) Expand the University-wide infrastructure to support campus-wide Aboriginal initiatives 2) Enhance and expand Aboriginal student supports MAGAZINE FNH
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Support academic enhancement at undergraduate & graduate levels Increase an Aboriginal presence at the University of Toronto through visibility & cultural awareness initiatives Increase outreach, recruitment, and relationship building with local and northern Aboriginal communities
BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE PLAN The large size of the University of Toronto requires a sustainable action plan that includes mechanisms to ensure the implementation of the objectives of the plan. Out of the consultations it was determined that a permanent Council on Aboriginal Initiatives must be established to provide a much-needed coordinating arm that will serve to centralize communications and advise the University on Aboriginal issues and initiatives both during this particular planning period and beyond it (i.e., beyond this MTCU plan). While members of the Council have yet to be determined, it is clear that the role of the Council will require participation from tri-campus senior administration, student life, academic departments, students, and Elders. BUILDING AN ABORIGINAL PRESENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO Since the founding of First Nations House in 1992 and Aboriginal Studies in 1994, the Aboriginal community and Aboriginal initiatives on campus have been growing at an incredible pace. This growth exemplifies the demand and general interest in Aboriginal scholarship across a multitude of undergraduate, professional, and graduate programs. However, when put into the context of the overall scale and scope of the University, the Aboriginal presence remains small. From the research gathered for this report, it is clear that there is need to increase an Aboriginal presence at the University of Toronto. Expanding an Aboriginal presence offers hope for educational opportunities and equity within the context of First Nation governance, traditions, and cultural milieu. Building and expanding an Aboriginal presence at the University of Toronto will further enrich the University’s mission overall, that is, its commitment to being an internationally significant research university, with undergraduate, graduate and professional programs of excellent quality. An expanded Aboriginal presence will create new research opportunities for Aboriginal scholars to incite discourse connected with Indigenous knowledge systems as well as infuse their respective departments and for Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars to interact, creating an exciting synergy. Today the global community is addressing important issues brought on by climate change and social inequities. Researchers, public policy makers, and communities are looking to innovative systems of knowledge and technologies while also searching to maintain balance and sustainability. The world is waiting for the next generation of scholars, inventors, and philosophers that universities like the University of Toronto have the potential to produce. Aboriginal faculty and students can enhance every department on all three campuses by creating opportunities for Indigenous peoples to express who we are, our philosophies and worldview, and our unique approaches to research within every discipline.
FN H ALU MN I
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Jason Pennington: By: Christine McFarlane
Dr. Jason Pennington, a medical school graduate of the University of Toronto, believes that the phenomenon of increasingly prolific Aboriginal students and scholars is a very important one. He says, “By having more Aboriginal people in the various professions, we can promote change within the professions that will help improve them.” Pennington initially came to the University of Toronto in 1990 to study as an aerospace engineer but after two years he came to the realization that this was not going to be his path in life. It was around this time that First Nations House came into existence and he started spending a lot of time in the North Borden Building. With the help of FNH staff member, Diane Longboat, he made the switch to Arts and Science for a career in medicine. After finishing his Arts and Science degree and a Masters in Botany (which focused on anti cancer drugs in plants), Pennington was introduced to the Native Students Association and became very active. “I found a sense of camaraderie because we had similar perspectives, and I could relate well with the other Native students in the University.” Pennington found guidance and support at First Nations House through career counselling, counselling from Elders and staff and in the computer lab where he could finish assignments and fill out applications. Having completed four years of medicine and five years of surgery, Dr. Pennington is now a staff surgeon at Scarborough General Hospital and an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto. He goes up North every year to smaller Aboriginal communities to practice for a week or two and speaks to the youth about the benefits of post secondary education. Now married and the proud father of a young son, Pennington was appointed to sit on the Admission Committee for Medical School where he will help evaluate candidates for medical school.
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Chii miigwetch (Thank you very much) to everyone who participated and shared in this visioning process. Together we continue the journey to build a vital Aboriginal presence and increased educational excellence at the University of Toronto. To download a copy of the action plan go to: www.aboriginalstrategicplanuoft. com David Shilling
Robert Snache
With active urban Aboriginal and reserve populations situated close to all three University of Toronto campuses, and a diversity of professional and graduate programs, the institution has an exciting opportunity to forge relationships with local and rural Aboriginal communities and truly begin to celebrate its cultural diversity. The strategies identified in the report are meant to be a starting point only and community members are encouraged to identify additional measures and Aboriginal initiatives that would contribute to meeting the vision and objectives outlined in the report.
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Tyler Pennock: Finding Roots and Strength Through Studies
By: Candace Brunette
David Shilling
Everybody has a story. Thomas King, Cherokee writer says, “The truth about stories is that that’s all that we are.” But imagine not knowing the story of your own birth. Imagine being told all your life that you’re Blackfoot, only to find out that you’re actually Cree/Métis. Tyler Pennock’s story is something like this. Pennock grew up in military family. He had two loving parents who sought the best for him. Growing up, the family moved around a lot; they saw the world living in Germany, British Columbia, Ottawa and Calgary. When Pennock was about seven years old, he found the book that confirmed his already growing intuitive suspicion. The book was titled “How to tell your child they’re adopted.” He distinctly remembers the color, size and shape of this book and the secret place his adoptive parents hid it – the infamous book would end up breaking the silence about his own birth story. Although Pennock discovered he was adopted when he was seven, he would spend the next 20 years looking for his biological family, and for answers about where he came from. In the beginning of his search, he received a package in the mail from the government’s adoption services. The documents contained inside ‘whited-out’ most of the pertinent information about his biological parents, erasing their names, addresses and phone numbers basically leaving Tyler with little information except for his mother’s last name. Tyler remembers when he first made out the word “Métis” on one of the forms and wondered what Métis meant. Up until that point, he believed that he was Blackfoot. He now admits that his adoptive parents made up the story as a way to give him answers about his connections to Aboriginal culture. The Canadian laws surrounding adoption have historically served to protect the anonymity of biological parents, rather than offering the truth to adoptees. Ultimately, it is a complicated situation on both sides. Pennock knows the sensitive matter all too well, as he’s spent much time treading the lines between hurting his biological mother and adoptive mother’s feelings. He has come to love them both – two women, who ultimately wanted the best for him. Nonetheless, the story of being adopted is a common story among many Aboriginal university students who often come through First Nations House and the Aboriginal Studies Program to learn about who they are as IndigenousAboriginal people. Many Aboriginal adoptees are adopted
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TOP LEFT, Tyler with his adoptive sister, Kim (Anishinaape from Winnipeg) TOP RIGHT: Tyler’s adoptive family. (Dwight, Kim, and Ellen) BOTTOM LEFT: Tyler’s Biological Aunt and Uncle, and their Grandchildren. BOTTOM RIGHT, (R to L) Tyler’s Biological Mom, Linda, Aunt, Celina, and Aunt, Brenda.
Telling Our Stories: Indigenous Writer’s Symposium: By: Christine McFarlane The Centre for Aboriginal Initiatives in partnership with First Nations House of the University of Toronto presented “Telling Our Stories” an Indigenous Writer’s Symposium on March 18-19, 2009. The two day event brought together talented writers from across the country. University of Toronto’s Lee Maracle joined Edmonton-based poet and award winner author Marilyn Dumont, theatre writer Penny Couchie, renowned playwright Drew Hayden Taylor, Giller Prize winner Joseph Boyden and the prolific Richard Van Camp. The writers came together to present lectures, workshops and readings at First Nations House and various other U of T campus locations. Among the topics was writing for theatre, the writing process, personal reflections on experiences in the field and features selections from the group’s diverse body of work. The last workshop of the two day symposium, titled “Storying Our Lives: Indigenous Perspectives and Fiction,” left a large impression on the audience. Authors led a lively on the importance of getting Indigenous stories out and how as storytellers, we all need to honour the stories within. “We have been telling stories for thousands of years,” renowned author Lee Maracle related. Richard Van Camp, a member of the Dogrib Nations, of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories and author of two children’s books with Cree artist George Littlechild: A Man Called Raven and What’s The Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses?, a collection of short stories, Angel Wing Splash Pattern, and the book “The Lesser Blessed” relayed to the audience his personal work with youth. “It is important to give today’s youth a safe place, culturally relevant stories and most importantly be role models to them.” Attendees at the events were thankful for such talented authors who have broken the ground for future writers and helped give voice to Indigenous peoples’ experiences. Because of their hard work and dedication to the words, aspiring authors can continue to move forward and get the stories out there in our own voices. have helped give a voice to Indigenous peoples experiences, so that those future aspiring writer’s can continue to share the stories within, and get their voices out there.
Robert Snache
A Student Life
into non-Aboriginal families. And while many non-Aboriginal adoptive parents do their best to introduce Indigenous culture to their children, many of these adoptees still struggle to find a secure sense of community and identity. About 10 years ago, Pennock began studying at the University through an access program called Academic Bridging, formerly known as Pre-University. Upon successful completion of an intensive university level course in English Literature, he was admitted to the University on a part-time basis. According to Pennock, “I didn’t do so well at first. I even left school for one year”. The year Tyler came back he enrolled in a Native American Literature Course with Professor Daniel Heath-Justice. Almost immediately he began drawing connections between his life experiences and the Aboriginal stories he was reading about in his course. Suddenly, his educational journey was taking on more meaning through the culturally appropriate coursework he was studying. During this pivotal year, the adoption laws in Alberta changed, and certain records about his adoption were released to him. Tyler was also growing the courage inside to seek out more answers about where he originated. In April 2005, he began shuffling through the local phone book in northern Alberta. He was searching for people with his biological mother’s last name in a small Métis community where his mother was born. Pennock still remembers the feeling in the pit of his stomach before he made that first call. He followed the script given to him by adoption services and made contact with some family members. Nearly two hours later, he was on the phone with his biological mother, Linda. They spoke for over nine hours. His mom shared everything with him from their family history, to his brothers and sisters, and finally, he got the story he was looking for – the story of his birth, and where he came from. Tyler Pennock (born Richard) was conceived on a trap line north of Lesser Slave Lake to a Métis woman and a Cree man and was adopted before his birth. His biological mother was only 16 at the time and she was afraid she couldn’t raise a child on her own. Tyler’s dad didn’t know she was even pregnant until many years later. Today Pennock’s life isn’t all that different, except that he has fewer questions. He still has a loving relationship with his adoptive parents and maintains contact with his biological parents. Most importantly, he can say where he comes from. As a creative writer and a student, Pennock draws from his life experiences. Like many writers, he admits that there are pieces of him in some of his characters. He is a burgeoning poet and a playwright who has taken the experiences of being “erased, unseen and unnoticed” into telling stories. He has been published in the Yellow Medicine Review: Journal of Native American Literature, and has presented excerpts of his play ‘Al and the Snake’ at the Weesaageechak Festival in Toronto.
TOP LEFT: Award winning Edmonton-based writer Marilyn Dumont captures the Metis spirit in words. TOP RIGHT: Dogrib protege Richard Van Camp entertains at OISE. LEFT: Playwrite Drew Hayden Taylor and Giller winner Joseph Boyden added their star power to the grathering. ABOVE: Richard Van Camp spectates.
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David Shilling
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Written by: Giles Benaway
DECOLONIZING THE EDUCATION MODEL: Ciimaan Language Learning Community
William Porter, Cat Criger
I N D I GEN OU S FACU LTY
Jean-Paul Restoule
If you are lucky you will have at least one cool professor in university, someone who is up on current events, who is open-minded, funny and there to learn from you as well as teach you. Jean Paul Restoule is one of these professors. “I love Jean Paul,” says University of Toronto alumnus Katherine McKernan. She is not alone in her admiration. Most of Restoule’s students, past and present, speak of him with the same respect and fervor. Many students form personal relationships with their favored teacher, calling him by his acronym “JP”. A member of the Dokis First Nation, Restoule is Anishinaabe and grew up in Orangeville, Ontario, raised by an enfranchised Native father and a French Canadian mother. He was finally instated as a Status Indian in 1990. Restoule’s father and brother were also given status that year. “I am very grateful that the band recognized my brother and me as well as my dad,” says Restoule. He also credits his band for supporting him financially throughout his studies. Earning a BA and MA in Communication Studies from the University of Windsor, Restoule came to Toronto to do a PhD in Sociology and Equity Studies in Education at the Ontario Institute for Secondary Education(OISE). Teaching ‘Introduction to Aboriginal Studies’ and courses focusing on Aboriginal peoples in the media, urban Aboriginal peoples, Aboriginal peoples in the environment, and Indigenous education in terms of the environment, Restoule laid a basic foundation for many students to learn about the original peoples of Turtle Island, often encouraging and motivating people to continue with, or further their studies in, Aboriginal Studies. Making a good impression at university with his innovation and dedication, Restoule applied for and was granted an assistant professorship on the tenure track at OISE. His position entails working with graduate students, teaching graduate courses and helping train future teachers in the Teachers Education Program about Aboriginal students. Through working with the Teachers Education Program at OISE, he hopes to change the many challenges that face today’s Aboriginal students. “The challenges are unique and different for everyone,” says Restoule. And although people’s experiences in the education system are different, there are similarities. “Shared challenges are that Aboriginal students are in institutions not of their making, where knowledge and priorities are set differently, and where Aboriginal worldviews are not necessarily respected or included,” says Restoule. Looking towards the future, JP has a strong belief in spreading awareness, with an emphasis on the living, breathing culture of his people. The one lesson he hopes to impart to his students more than anything is the reality of the national Indigenous community. “We are not people of the past.” These days Restoule spends his hours outside of the school helping his wife Tara raise their two children, two year old Vincent and baby Myra. The teachings he has passed on to many students at University of Toronto are no doubt being shared with the new people in his life, building a strong and aware generation for us all.
Although First Nations’ languages have faced ongoing endangerment from residential schools, culture-loss and family breakdown, over the last twenty years they have been making a remarkable comeback. In Toronto, many members of the First Nations’ community are making concentrated efforts to preserve, record and pass on the language for future generations. A diverse group of First Nations language classes and courses are currently offered across Canada, representing many local dialects and various communities. Despite these successes, there is a broad consensus across First Nations language educators that western models of language learning are not suitable and do not produce fluent speakers. Drawing on research from the Maori language revitalization and traditional models of education, language instructors are moving towards a more holistic, immersion based approach for their learners. At the University of Toronto’s Aboriginal Studies Department, Professor Alex McKay is working to create a new model of learning for the Ojibway language. With the help of Jackman Humanities Fellow Maya Chacaby, Professor McKay formed ‘Ciimaan’ (“boat” in Annishinabemowin). The Ciimaan Language Community is a partnership between the Centre for Aboriginal Initiatives and Miziwe Bik Aboriginal Employment and Training agency. Ciimaan works with fluent speakers from many communities including Nawash First Nation and Kichinamaykosib Ininuwuk. The program is rooted in the belief that First Nations people cannot relearn their languages in isolation. It aims to create a sustainable long-term Ojibwe language learning community in the GTA by bringing learners together through unique job-training projects and community-building events. In the words of Ciimaan Coordinator, Maya Chacaby, “It’s not enough to simply learn a few words or phrases, but becoming fluent in our language is a long and difficult process. Its’ time that we bring our community together to recognize the hard work the learners are doing to revitalize our language”. Ciimaan uses immersion-based learning by having the learners engage each other regardless of skill level or fluency. One activity pioneered by Ciimaan is Ojibway speed dating, where participants use basic phrases in Ojibway to communicate and ask questions to their partner. Each participant will be rotated around to the other learners, so eventually everyone will have been speaking Ojibway for minutes regardless of fluency level. For Coordinator Chacaby, the program is all about “building pride in our language and convincing our learners that they can become fluent in Ojibway”. Ciimaan has also carried out language honoring ceremonies, where learners from every age category were acknowledged for their contribution to the restoration of the Ojibway language. When the Ojibway language conference in Sault Saint Marie occurred last month, Ciimaan was there to showcase their learning model with over 90 participants. “The movement is really gathering momentum”, Chacaby said. “In the last five years, there has really been an emphasis on finding new ways to teach the language and we’re starting to see the effects in younger generations”. Ciimaan will be continuing to develop more Ojibway language resources, including a computer video game for grade five and up. Learning our traditional languages is not just a right as First Nations people in Canada, but also a responsibility. Without our languages, we lack a vital understanding of what it means to be an Aboriginal person. As Shirley Williams, Professor at Trent University and Ojibway Language Instructor says, “Language is culture. And without language, we lose a part of ourselves”. By engaging the models of education around language learning, First Nations people are beginning to look critically at how they can recover their languages and are building new methods to achieve fluency. Ciimaan is a proud part of a greater change in First Nations Literacy and Language learning. MAGAZINE FNH 11
“
Robert Snache
Daniel Heath Justice Speaking his Truth
“Indigenous literary expression affirms a relationship between a writer and a readera relationship of both acknowledgment and recognition. Text, writer, and reader work together; the relationship between them is a living and ongoing one.”
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Currently, one of the most hotly debated areas of scholarship in the field of Indigenous literature is a movement called “Indigenous literary nationalism”. Indigenous literary nationalism places Indigenous intellectual and cultural values at the centre of literary analysis - not in the margins. It centres the study of tribal literatures within the physical and intellectual contexts from which those literatures emerge; understanding that Native nations have powerful, sophisticated intellectual foundations and that place figures predominantly within them. At the forefront of this movement are a handful of some of the most intellectually astute Indigenous scholars in North America. Among them is Daniel Heath Justice, an associate professor of Aboriginal Literatures in the Department of English and affiliate faculty member of the Aboriginal Studies program at the University of Toronto. He says
that Indigenous literary nationalism is of the most controversial debates that he and other scholars of Indigenous literature are engaged in right now, especially in terms of “the degree to which Native literary criticism can (and should) be grounded in the social, cultural, historical, and political contexts of Native nations.” A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, much of Justice’s work has tackled themes of identity, Indigenousness, nationhood, authenticity and decolonization. “Indigenousness requires far more than simply existing as individual Indians or supporting Indigenous causes: those of us who are Native, as well as our non-Native allies, must also be mindful of those ceremonial, political, and intellectual traditions that embody our adaptive continuity as peoples, as nations with distinctive voices in the world and significant interpretive gifts that we bring to our interactions with others.” For Justice, who is also a submissions editor for the journal SAIL: Studies in American Indian Literatures (the only scholarly journal exclusively devoted to the study of Indigenous literary expression) and a published author, this is not simply a theoretical stance to adopt in the context of literary analysis. It’s a way of being that infiltrates all of his work as well as his personal life. Daniel grew up in the small Rocky Mountain mining town of Victor, Colorado, but recently took his Canadian citizenship oath, an event that he found both exciting and strange given his scholarly work. “So much of my work critiques nation-state nationalism and the imperial enterprise” he says, “so it’s a bit weird to take an oath of allegiance to the Queen and to take on another citizenship. But, on the other hand, I do love this land and its people, and I want to be able to participate in the electoral process of the country in which I live--and it’s nice to be part of a country that doesn’t expect you to abandon who you are when becoming a citizen, which is quite a shift from the U.S. emphasis on melting-pot assimilation.” A deep thinker with a warm and generous personality, Daniel Heath Justice believes strongly in the importance of recognizing and affirming relationship and kinship. This is evident not only in his scholarly work but in how he lives. In the few years he’s resided in Canada, Justice has become a highly respected mentor and friend to many. When asked, he says he sees his role in society at large and in the various communities in which he participates as the same: “to write, work, and live in ways that are truthful, balanced, and honourable; to be attentive to and respectful of the rights, responsibilities, and complexities of our interconnected relationships and kinship with one another and the other-than-human world; to be productively critical of those ideas and people who champion fear, resentment, and false simplification; and to give my efforts toward creative rather than destructive ends.” One of his creative efforts is the groundbreaking Indigenous fantasy trilogy The Way of Thorn and Thunder, which is loosely based on Cherokee history and informed by Cherokee thinking and spirituality. Lauded as a complex and imaginative work, the trilogy is, as Science Fiction writer Lynda Williams says, “a magical re-telling of the archetypal conflict between those who belong to the land and the avaricious rapine of invaders.” A wildly imaginative work, the trilogy deconstructs the fantasy genre, most notably by telling the story from the perspective of the people of the land and not the colonizers with their agendas of displacement, theft of land and resources, destruction of culture and spirituality, and genocide – all of which are so often blithely celebrated in much of fantasy and science fiction. In Justice’s trilogy, the main
character is Tarsa’deshae, a two-spirited female warrior from a lush and mysterious world called the Everland. A member of the tree-born Kyn, who have lived in the Everland since time immemorial, Tarsa is responsible for defending her nation from the invasion of Men who are trying to rob the Everland of its resources. In doing so, she becomes increasingly aware of her own growing power and its connection to her people and to the natural and supernatural worlds around her. Justice began to imagine the characters, and the world they inhabit, as a 12 year old growing up in a small town of 250 where he “went to the same school from kindergarten through graduation,” and was one of only 23 graduates. Years later, when he was living in Toronto and finally ready to write it down, the entire story poured out onto page after page in a relatively short time. After deciding that he preferred to place his manuscript with an Indigenous publisher (who would best understand it), he sent it off, complete with maps, glossaries, illustrations, character sketches, and descriptions of styles of dress. Since then it’s been breaking trail in Indigenous literature while struggling to find its place among mainstream fantasy and science fiction. “I think we still deal with a good deal of tokenism and dismissal by many non-Native critics and funders as “niche” writers,” he says, “as though our ideas and concerns are of interest only to Native audiences.” Justice says he certainly experienced this when he attended the World Fantasy Convention, a place he had expected his work would be welcomed for its originality and fresh new perspectives. Instead, he found the convention surprisingly closed and dismissive. “It’s something that’s been in my mind quite a bit since then.” For Justice, it’s essential that his work be understood within the context of the culture and political and geographical environments out of which it arose. “My identities as a Cherokee person, a queer man, a scholar, and a mountain-raised Colorado hillbilly are inextricable from my work,” says Justice. “I would hope that readers would engage these contexts as well as broader contexts, as I don’t think of my work as being in any way limited by these contexts. If anything, these contexts are what give my work whatever good qualities it possesses. I don’t understand folks who say “I want to just be considered a writer, not an Indian writer,” as that sets up a false dichotomy - how in the hell can you be a writer without also being fully embodied in a material form that inhabits and is in relation to a network of contexts in the larger world?” It’s a question his creative and scholarly work continually addresses. Next year he’ll be teaching ABS 300, “Indigenous Worldview, Knowledge, and Oral Traditions,” as well as ENG 239, a second-year lecture course in the Department of English on fantasy and horror, as well as a training course for graduate students in English on teaching literature in the university classroom. Currently, he’s on sabbatical and working on a few projects including a cultural history of badgers for the “Animals” series from Reaktion Books in the UK, a collection of new and previously-published personal and critical essays tentatively titled In Search of the Last Cherokee Princess: Literature, Belonging, Desire and a new novel. “Ultimately,” he says, “we just have to speak our truths as best we can and hope that those truths find generous hearts and open minds - or help to create the conditions for such hearts and minds.”
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Aaron Mason
Weeklong Spotlight on Indigenous Culture By: Michael White
TOP: split spruce root and a Metis sash worn by Marcel LaBelle. MIDDLE: Profile of a Ciimaan (canoe) built for FNH by the students at Pelican Falls High School, Sioux Lookout, ON BOTTOM: Marcel LaBelle, Metis Canoe Builder (left) Michael White (middle) Senior Lecturer Alex McKay (right)
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Aboriginal Awareness Week is an annual celebration of Indigenous culture that takes place just before the start of Reading Week at the University of Toronto. This year’s theme was Indigenous Ways of Knowing. It showcased talented artists, musicians, teachers, Elders and ceremonial conductors from diverse nations inclusive of Inuit, Metis and First Nations peoples. Aboriginal Awareness Week is a chance for students, staff, faculty and the community at large to participate in events and learn about Indigenous cultures in Canada as well as around the world. While each year has a different theme, the general format of the week remains the same. Activities include roundtable discussions, craft workshops, exhibitions, sunrise ceremonies, traditional teachings and cultural exchange. People from all walks of life are free to participate. This year’s musical showcase featured Metis fiddlers, Inuit throat singers and Cree round dancing. Also featured was a screening of the Sammi Film Firekeepers. Apart from these, one particular highlight of this year’s event was a canoe workshop facilitated by master canoe builder Marcel Labelle. A primary objective in hosting an Aboriginal Awareness Week is the opportunity to educate people on indigenous issues and to dispel myths and stereotypes. It is a chance for Aboriginal people to celebrate and show the world our uniqueness and the beauty that exists within our nations.
TOP LEFT AND RIGHT: The process of turning spruce roots into cordage. CENTRE (large and inset top): (left to right) Conlin and Nicholas Delbaere-Sawchuck Toronto based young Metis traditional family ensemble with a contemporary flair that can take an audience back to an old-style Metis kitchen party jam. CENTRE (bottom inset): Throat singers Raigelee Alorut and daughter Jennifer. BOTTOM PHOTOS: Storyteller Will Morin at the Pendarves Room; International Student Centre
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Balancing Act One Student’s Story of Single Parenthood
Stacey at work during a break from the boys in her home. Bottom: Stacey tends to her youngest son Trent.
Robert Snache
By: Candace Brunette Sitting down with Stacey Tobey, an Ojibwe woman, mother, and second year student in the Transitional Year Programme (TYP) at the University of Toronto, one is immediately struck by her strength and vitality. There is a purposeful presence about Stacey stemming from her multifaceted personality and the fact that she embodies so much life experience, not only as a student but also as a parent. Tobey’s number one focus is her family. She is the proud mother of two energetic boys: Cameron, 8 and Trent, 6. Originally from Beausoleil First Nation, she moved from Honey Harbour in Northern Ontario to Toronto in 2007 to pursue the TYP program and gain entry into the Bachelor of Arts Honours degree at U of T. TYP is an access program geared toward mature students who do not meet the formal academic requirements for admission. According to Tobey, TYP has given her a second chance, “[It helped me] gain confidence to succeed even though I didn’t complete high school”. Upon completion of her university degree, in which she will major in both History and Aboriginal Studies with a minor in English, Stacey Tobey plans to complete a Bachelor of Education certificate at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at U of T.
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One of her goals is to become an elementary school teacher and integrate “the truth of Aboriginal history” in Ontario curriculum. On top of her studies, Tobey is also an active member of the Native Students Association (NSA) where she acts as Bird Clan leader within the NSA’s newly established traditional system of governance. In her capacity within the NSA, Tobey’s goals are to help educate others to “see a different side of the common stereotypes that penetrate many non-Aboriginal peoples’ perspectives of Aboriginal people”. Stacey candidly shares her experiences juggling the responsibilities of being both a single parent and a student. (The very morning of the FNH interview, she had to bake a dozen cupcakes for her son’s school bake sale, which he inadvertently forgot to tell her about, until they were on their way out the door for school that morning.) Stacey laughs as she recalls having to frantically find a peanut free cake mix option at the grocery store at 8:30 in the morning. When asked, “How do you manage everything?” Tobey says, “Time management, but there’s never enough, and I don’t have much free time for myself.” Tobey’s days are long. Unlike many students, she never sleeps in past 7:30 a.m. - her boys are up at the crack of dawn. Every morning, she multi-tasks as she gets her kids ready for school, refereeing her boys at the kitchen table as they playfully compete over who gets to sit where and what bowl they use. More recently, her oldest son has grown “too old” to be seen with mom when walking to school, so Tobey lets him walk a ahead of her, keeping her eye on him from a distance. Her life manages much more than simple school assignments; everyday Tobey acts as her kids’ ‘first teacher’ - teaching them about the values of sharing while carefully nurturing their independence. According to Tobey, being a parent is extremely rewarding, but unexpected things frequently come up. The kids get sick and babysitters cancel at the last minute. She said, “Some professors understand, (but) it really depends on the situation”. Tobey claims that her best arm of defense is not allowing her parenthood to interfere too much with her studies, though she admits that managing the two is a fine balancing act. Generally, Tobey’s homework has to wait until after 8 p.m. after her kids have gone to bed. After she bathes them, reminds them to brush their teeth, tells them a story, and even sometimes sings them a song, she tucks them safely into bed for the night. Only then, after all the family obligations are taken care of, does she begin putting her mind to the work of being a student. Tobey stays up late laboring over assignments and putting her best foot forward. She firmly believes that this sacrifice is for the betterment of her family. As a member of the Aboriginal community on campus, Tobey takes full advantage of the many family oriented services and programs offered through First Nations House (FNH). The staff members at FNH are approachable. “My kids feel very comfy there,” she said. “I have brought them to FNH’s Halloween party, Christmas feast and even to Aboriginal Awareness Week events”. She remarks, “It is important to me to give them a chance to explore their background, as I did not have this chance growing up”. According to some statistics, 30 per cent of Aboriginal post-secondary students have dependent children, and the majority of these students are women (Holmes, 2006; Danziger, 1996; cited in Smillie, 2007, unpublished). Research also indicates that childcare, family support and economics are determining factors in academic success. Ultimately, being a student is more challenging when blended with raising children. Aboriginal students like Stacey Tobey are inspiring, because despite the challenges, they remind us of the sacrifices parents make to support the future of their families. Places like FNH also support Aboriginal student-parents by being both responsive to community’s needs, honouring the kinship-based worldview, and supporting the nurturing of children through inclusive programming. Ultimately, our communities must be willing to protect and build the next generation’s relationships with family, community and nationhood.
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Den Mother: Jackie Esquimaux-Hamlin is as integral to the success of many FNH students as the books she painstakingly collects and lovingly shares.
Jackie Esquimaux-Hamlin:
All About The Students By Jorge Antonio Vallejos
Robert Snache
First Nations House prides itself on being a home away from home for Aboriginal students at the University of Toronto – and it is. But a home is not simply a roof over one’s head; homes are homes because of the love that comes from the people who share the space. There is no better example of such love than First Nations House Resource Co-ordinator Jackie EsquimauxHamlin. Raised in White Fish Falls and hailing from Aundek Omni Kaning Anishnaabe First Nation, Esquimaux-Hamlin jokes her job is “to serve and protect.” Every joke is a halftruth, because this Resource Co-ordinator does more than help students find books. “Anytime anybody steps through that door and they are looking for something, it’s not just about a book; it’s about you the person,” Esquimaux-Hamlin says. “That’s what I’m interested in. I need to know who you
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are and what you are studying.” Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto in 2000, Esquimaux-Hamlin came to academia later than most and with much life experience. Earning a diploma in Early Childhood Education (ECE), Esquimaux-Hamlin worked with children for 30 years before coming to U of T. Excelling at this initial job, Esquimaux-Hamlin was appointed Supervisor of the first urban Aboriginal daycare in Canada. Set up by the Liberal Government, Esquimaux-Hamlin worked with a one million dollar budget on a five-year project that blossomed. Referring to her ECE background, Esquimaux-Hamlin says, “I still keep in touch with it.” Many students come to Esquimaux-Hamlin with personal problems, difficulties in school and questions about life. She refers to her current job as Resource Coordinator and her past job as a child educator as one and the same. “It’s about encouraging them, bringing the best out of them, establishing that positive well being within them and the ability to go forward in a strong, positive way, to do it for the people and themselves,” EsquimauxHamlin says. Running the two-room Resource Centre is a full time gig. Starting out with a donation from the Toronto Raptors in the early 1990s, the FNH Resource Centre is now open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, housing 3,000 books, many coming via donation from friends of the library. Thirty to fifty books are bought each year so as to keep up to date with Aboriginal Academia. Many of the books are purchased with the money saved
from photo copying done by the students at First Nation House. Team work is a big part of the Resource Centre: current and former students give the Centre books they no longer need and three work-study students, along with two volunteers, help Esquimaux-Hamlin get the job done throughout the year. Five special collections are housed at the Resource centre: Author Lee Maracle, Dr. Sylvia Van kirk, Elder Lillian McGregor, Indigenous Activist Rodney Bobiwash and Harold Medjuck. All five collections have come via donation. “The Resource Centre is not set up like the Library of Congress or Robarts Library,” Esquimaux-Hamlin says. “It’s set up in a way that’s friendly and working from the world view of an Aboriginal person.” Based on the revolutionary classification system started by Mohawk librarian Brian Deer, reflecting a First Nations perspective, all books are categorized by people and Nation from the East to West coasts, U.S. Nations are in alphabetical order, and all the books are catalogued on a memory stick. “When I’m gone they’ll be able to find the information with a snap of the finger,” she says. Jackie approaches her job with the understanding that she treats people the way she would like to be treated if she were looking for information somewhere. Understanding and welcoming students are a huge priority. Asked about her beloved students, Jackie says, “This is not my house. This is our house. This is about how you can come and be yourself. It’s all about you.”
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nightwalk These images express my explorations of walking and wandering as an aesthetic within artmaking. Mimi Gellman Masters of Visual Studies Thesis Exhibition 22� x 30� (1 of 6) cyan toned lamda print