Dr. Jason Woodman-Simmonds

Catherine Lafferty

Painted by Brittney Toews Written by Lois Justo and Ashley Meinen

For our interview we got to meet Catherine Lafferty who is an author, law student and member of the Dene First Nation. Catherine grew up in Yellowknife of the Northwest Territories. She has written four novels, is a free-lance journalist, a law student at UVIC, and was also a member of the Dene First Nation council for four years One theme that emerged from our interview with Catherine is climate change and environmental issues. We learned a lot about how the Dene First Nation has been dealing with pollution in their local lakes that comes from the local gold mine, and how that issue extends beyond their community and into local ocean pollution. Another theme that emerged from our discussion is Indigenous land issues. Catherine said that you have to “pick and choose your battles,” because communicating with the government takes a lot of time and jumping through hoops just for Indigenous voices to be heard. One key part of Catherine’s identity and legacy in Canada-land is being a writer. She is able to share her articles and stories online to educate others. She shared how she uses real-life inspiration to write her stories but also that it is important to her to preserve and share her friend’s experiences. Catherine shared what μαρτυρέω means to her; “honesty, authenticity, and truths, and making sure you get the story right, taking responsibility, and accountability.” An underlying condition of Catherine’s life is that her community (in Yellowknife) faces environmental and land issues such as fossil fuel use and water pollution. This condition led to her become a freelance journalist to write articles about climate change and to raise awareness about environmental issues. One challenge in Catherine’s work as a journalist is that in the past, editors have changed and manipulated her articles before publishing in ways that she did not desire for them to be shared to the public. One positive outcome is that she has been able to share issues surrounding her community online through her books and articles. During the interview, we asked what we can do to play our part to help with the issue of climate change and listened to her stories of her community and their experiences with pollution and environmental problems. We were able to reflect on our identities and our personal roles in Canada by thinking about ways that we can contribute to sustainable living and helping prevent climate change. We learned the importance of connecting with nature daily and how it can benefit mental health. We also learned how it is important to remember our roots and the lives of our ancestors; to slow down and show our appreciation to the world we live in.

Dr. Jason Woodman-Simmonds

Painted by Sona Yamanaka Written by Ava Popowitz and Bella Craig

Dr. Jason Woodman-Simmonds is a proud citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation. He descends from two Métis families, the Umphervilles and the Turners. He is a husband to his wife Barbara and a father to his sons Jacob and Luke. He and his wife live in South Surrey on the traditional territory of the Semiahmoo people and have been married for twenty-two years. Jason taught us about the Métis’ role in the creation of Manitoba which makes them partners in Canadian Confederation. The province of Manitoba is where the historic Métis nation lived on the prairies of the Red River Valley. Jason shares his pride in Métis history with his children so they can carry it forward. He thinks it is important for everyone to understand that what makes someone Métis is their direct ancestral connection to this distinct nation with a distinct culture. It is not a “mixedness,” despite the meaning of the word “Métis” in French. A theme that emerged from our conversation was religion and spirituality. Jason deeply resonates with the gospel of Christ yet describes his relationship with Christianity as ambivalent. As a child, Jason attended church, recited many Bible verses and prayed fervently, but often perceived God’s response to be silence. He told us that this experience led him away from the church in his teens and toward rougher crowds. Later, he found restoration in exploring other branches of Christian faith such as the Anglo-Catholic and Liturgical traditions. He has learned to be more attuned to God’s quiet voice which can be found in both in nature and everyday life. We learned from Jason that within Métis communities there has always been and currently is a strong Catholic tradition. Still, this is only one of the ways that the Métis choose to express their faith in a divine Creator. Many prefer smudging and other traditional First Nations ceremonies and have even expressed opposition to a recent call by the president of the Manitoba Métis Federationto revitalize the Christian church again in Métis communities. To Jason, μαρτυρέω means finding identity in where we are by connecting to our ancestors and our descendants: “I think we miss so much of our rich world around us, the natural world, the created world and our important relationships when we start to search out who we are by looking into the vortex. I think we need to ask ourselves where we are.” One negative outcome of his studies is that he felt disconnected from his Métis culture, as there are no Métis communities in this part of Canada. In his studies about Early Modern Theatre, Jason had the opportunity to read a novel called Half-Breed by Métis author Maria Campbell that piqued his interest. Campbell’s family lived in one of the many shantytowns created when the Métis people were displaced from the Red River Valley. In the novel, she writes a passage about performing Shakespeare with her siblings in the backwoods of Saskatchewan. Historically, Indigenous people were disenfranchised from classical education in Canada. In Half-Breed, Jason discovered a story where Métis children play with Shakespeare, enjoying something that Indigenous children had typically been denied access to. As he continued working towards a Doctor of Philosophy specializing in Early Modern Theatre, Jason was inspired to continue exploring Indigenous connections to Shakespeare. We learned from Jason that in our individualistic society community is possible. Jason believes that we all have a Creator-given vocation, and this is most meaningful when we use it for the benefit of communities.

Joseph Dandurand

Painted By Rio Arai Written by Joel Choi and Carmun Makkar

We, Carmun and Joel, had the honor of interviewing Tony Dandurand better known as Joeseph Dandurand. He is a respected archaeologist, storyteller and award-winning writer who has won awards like the Lieutenants Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence in 2021. He is also a hardworking fisherman, a compassionate animal lover (he has three dogs and a cat) and is a single father to three kids. Joseph is part of the Kwantlen First Nation located just outside of Fort Langley and was born in British Columbia, Canada. A theme that was revisited multiple times throughout our interview is that Joseph has a love for writing, especially poetry. We were impressed to learn that he wakes up every day at five in the morning to write! As the interview went on, we recognized that Tony is proud of his gift of writing and that it has led him into many new endeavors. He said to us:

“Each of us have a gift and I think my gift is writing. It opened doors for me, and I keep going through those doors and today is another door that my writing has brought me to.”

To Tony, μαρτυρέω is recognized through coins given in ceremony as a symbol of witness. The commencement of a Kwantlen First Nation ceremony is often demonstrated through the sharing of one’s name and the receiving of two quarters called “witness coins.” This tradition is a way of acknowledging that the guests are bearing witness to the events that are about to take place, and a reminder to them to take what they see and hear back to their own village. In this way, the ceremonial experience is shared and passed on. The witness quarters are meant to be held on to be exchanged again at oncoming ceremonies.

The intergenerational legacy of Joseph’s family includes the impact of residential schools. He shared that he is still “living in the conflict” that exists between Christianity and First Nations, simply in the reality that most members of his community unfortunately share this experience and trauma of residential schools. His mother has bravely shared her story about residential schools, and her survival against assimilation. Joseph told us that his mother’s story inspires him, but also that her story carries a heavy burden and trauma for him that is not exclusive to just his family. Joseph’s poetry is vulnerable and emotional; he embodies the difficult pain and realities of intergenerational legacies in First Nation communities. He is a true artist in the way that his writing immerses his audience in real stories. His gifts are inspiring and a privilege to learn about. Our conversation with Joseph taught us more about how historic assimilation attempts in Canada still impact First Nations communities, and that we can take action to implement change by educating ourselves and others. Joseph celebrates the resilience of his community; saying that the Kwantlen First Nation have been here, are still here, and will always be here and part of the land. Our identities in Canada should not be threatened by knowledge and truth of the country’s history but rather deepened by our efforts to reconciliate.