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TRANSCRIPT
Daughters,
Sisters, Mothers
& Wives
A Cree Reader
© Ontario Native Literacy Coalition 2017
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to Heritage Canada, and the Ministry of Advanced
Education and Skills development.
This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada. Ce project a été rendu possible en partie grâce au gouvernement du Canada.
This book has been a joy to develop with tremendous learning taking place. It has been a compilation of several student's research and interviews with Cree knowledge carriers.
ONLC would like to thank the students who contributed to this document, Kennedy Montour, Chezney Martin and Brennor Jacobs. We would also like to thank Andrew Wesley and Mary-Jane Metatawabin for their assistance and knowledge offered to the student researchers.
Thank you to our role models for their inspiring stories, Mekwan Tulpin and Rosary Spence.
Thank you also to the artist contributing to the book, Rosary Spence.
This reader has level 1,2, & 3 and accompanies the Indigenous Women’s Roles, educational kit.
Michelle Davis
ONLC Executive Director
© Ontario Native Literacy Coalition 2017
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DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
About the Cree People ....................................................... 5
Creation Story ..................................................................... 7
The Rebirth of the World .................................................... 8
Women and the Round Dance ............................................ 10
The Importance of Communication in Teaching ................ 12
Contrasts Between Language ............................................. 15
Women's Knowledge .......................................................... 17
Women within Cree Culture: Purpose, Roles and Power ............................................ 19
Cree Women Today
Mekwan Laura Jane Tulpin .......................................... 22
Rosary Spence ........................................................... 28
References .......................................................................... 34
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ABOUT THE CREE PEOPLE
Cree is a Native American language and a member of the
Algonquian family. Cree is spoken in the Eastern James Bay area
and is spoken by about 13,000 people living in 9 different
communities. The two major dialects spoken in the Cree
language are Northern and Southern, with slight distinctions
between the two in relation to culture, stories, and customs. The
traditional way of life of the Cree people was like most
aboriginal communities in the boreal forest. Some groups would
look for foliage, medicine, and small game, while hunting groups
gathered animals for sustenance and for hides which was
important during the fur trades during the times of European
settlers. While hunting became a past time for many men, these
groups were not gender specific. The groups were made to
utilize an individuals best skill set and the community thrived on
this way of life.
The people of the Cree
traditionally lived in wigwams or tipis,
which were shared by families of
eight to ten people usually related
through marriage. These groups of
families formed bands, family groups
who moved and hunted together.
These bands could strengthen family
ties as well as inter-band relations as bands would usually have
strong ties to their neighbours through intermarriage and
through socialization during different times of the year.
An encampment of Cree tipis, photographed in 1857-57 by the H.Y. Hind expedition.
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The Cree are the largest group of First Nations in Canada,
with 220,000 members and 135 registered bands. Together,
their reserve lands are the largest of any First Nations group in
the country. The largest Cree band and the second largest First
Nations Band in Canada after the Six Nations Iroquois is the Lac
La Ronge Band in northern Saskatchewan.
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CREATION STORY
Below is a short version of the Creation Story from the Youtube
video, “Cree Creation Story”, told by Norm Wesley, member of
Moose Cree First Nation—https://youtu.be/Qn0zJ1QH2Zc
When we think about creation, we think about all the
different things that have been made. The greenery of the trees,
the animals, the body of waters, the rebirth and new growth.
Somewhere us humans come in there as being created into this
world. The fundamental question is where am I, where am I
coming from and where am I going? To know who you are and
where you are going, you have to have some sense on where
you came from.
It begins with two people who are walking in another
world. They have been walking for quite some time, they see
openings around them. They see an opening and saw the lush
greenery, the lakes, rivers, birds and animals, they all look so
nice. They have no way of getting there, so they continued their
journey and kept walking. They see a little small spec, the closer
they get the larger it gets. They see it’s a spider, and they
approach it. It turns and looks down on them, they say to the
spider “we long to go down to this world.” The spider tells them
to stand back, he then spins and spins until
he has created a large bowl, where the two
can climb down into. The spider then
instructs them, “you are not to look over
the side of the bowl as I lower you into this
new world”. They both agree and climbed
into the bowl and the creature lowers
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them down. On the way down, one of them is overcome by
excitement to see what is going on, they climb over the edge to
try to look over, next thing they know the bowl starts rocking
back and forth violently. It does this until they reach the new
land. When the bowl stops lands, they see they are on a tall tree,
and have no way of getting down, as the tree has no branches or
foliage to climb down on. They see all the greenery, the animals,
water, and everything nature has to offer them. As they wonder
how they will get down from the bowl, the animals start to
appear. The first is a caribou, and they ask the caribou if he can
help them down, the caribou denies as he
has trouble walking on rocks and can’t
climb trees, he walks on. Other animals go
by; finally the fisher comes by and agrees
to help bring them down. The two people
get down to earth, and discover all the
wonders of this new world. They
eventually befriend a bear, who teaches them everything they
need to know about this new world. That is why the Cree call the
bear their brother. This story is given the teachings of where
Cree people have come from.
THE REBIRTH OF THE WORLD
There was a time when the people of the world were
quarrelling and fighting that it displeased the Creator so much
that the Creator flooded the lands in order to cleanse it of all the
bloodshed.
There was a spirit man named “Wesahgeja” who forms the
“second world.” As he is reforming and rebirthing everything, he
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needs a piece of the earth to do this. He asks three animals to
see if they could get mud from below to form this second world.
He asks the beaver, the otter and muskrat. He asks the otter,
and unfortunately the otter was unable to reach the bottom and
was unsuccessful. He asks the beaver, but he ran out of breath
before he could reach the bottom and he was also unsuccessful.
The spirit man asks the muskrat to go under and try to bring
some mud up. He reaches the bottom and just gets enough of
the mud for the spirit man. The muskrat was the only animal
that was successful to bring the mud up.
The spirit man then creates the world again. He was the
one who named everything, such as the sky, under water
animals, above ground animals, the birds, the colours of the
animals and everything else.
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WOMEN AND THE ROUND DANCE
A long time ago there lived a beautiful woman. This
woman passionately loved her mother and refused to marry any
man, and chose to stay by her mother’s side. The woman stayed
by her mother for many years. The woman could see that her
mother was nearing the end of her life and began to feel very
sad, and began to wonder what she would do without her
mother. The women spent her mothers remaining years by her
side until finally it was time for her mother to move on from this
world. The woman’s fear had finally come and her grief was
unending.
It was at this time the beautiful woman began to wander in
her grief. She had been by her mother for her entire life and
could no longer find her purpose, she became very cold. She
wandered the fields, travelled to the top of mountains, she
moved through the thickest bush. She missed her mother so
much that her sadness would not pass. One day while travelling
over the rolling hills, the
woman saw lights of beautiful
colours circling in the sky. She
looked up to see a figure
standing alone at the top of the
hill. The woman called out but
the figure did not respond. The woman continued to get closer
and wondering who could be out this far into the wilderness.
She got closer, and closer, she saw it was her mother looking out
over the distance. Filled with excited, the woman ran toward her
mother to hug her, until she was so close that she could see that
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her mothers feet did not touch the ground. The woman startled,
took a step back. Her mother looked at her and smiled, telling
her daughter that she could not touch her.
The mother spoke to her daughter again, “I cannot find
peace because you still grieve for me”. The daughter looked to
her mother and could not find an answer in her heart. The
mother smiled at her daughter and began to speak again. “I have
brought something from the other world to help the people
grieve in a good way”. She began to sing songs, and as her
daughter listened, her heart began to warm again. The mother
then began to teach her ceremony and told her daughter, “Tell
the people that when this circle is made, we that have passed
will join them, and you will see us dancing with you, you will see
our lights shine in the sky”.
It is a common belief among Cree people that the northern
lights are ancestors dancing. This is how the round dance came
to be.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION IN TEACHING
Communication is extremely important. This statement is
especially true within aboriginal communities, where traditional
knowledge of ceremonies, storytelling, hunting grounds, etc.
were handed down from generation to generation.
Scholars who have studied Indigenous peoples have
attempted to describe how traditional teachings and culture play
important roles in the development of resilience among
indigenous peoples (Hansen et al., 2016). Many indigenous
cultures told stories in great detail, these stories were told to
provide perspectives to enable useful scenarios to reconfigure
life and the moral and emotional choices we make everyday.
“Although these traditional teachings were suppressed for
generations [undermined by a history of colonialism and
Eurocentrism] Indigenous people must be credited with the
ability of ensuring the continued existence of their traditional
cultures and ways of knowing.” (Hansen et al., 2016).
It is the duty of all indigenous people to take control of the
identity involving their language, Indigenous knowledge is not a
relic of the past, it still exists as an adaption to life in a changing
world. Indigenous language is essential, not only to Indigenous
people, but also to the nation of Canada as a founding and
important part of the countries heritage. Indigenous people
adapt to stress and adversity through Indigenous knowledge,
which emphasizes the need for balance. This balance can be
seen as the role traditional knowledge plays in modern life.
Some believe that traditional language may not play an integral
part in modern times. However, in contrast it is the belief that
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culture (and language by default) plays an intricate part in
building self-identity and self-pride.
Indigenous concepts of resilience can be understood as
arising out of the ability to be flexible and having a vision about
how to succeed (Valaskakis et al.,2009). It is now as important as
ever, for indigenous people to take back control of their
traditional culture, to take back their stories, and of particular
importance, their ability to be self-sustaining in regards to their
own community wellness. “Positive self-concept and a sense of
culture have been major factors in the development of
educational success” (Hansen et al., 2016). It is our duty to
provide teachings to our coming generations, to pass down
knowledge that has been passed on throughout the history of
our people. There is a need to root ourselves in tradition, not for
the sake of the past but for the sake of the future. Our children,
with the gift of their culture, can work towards ensuring our
future survival. Western Eurocentric education has had
inappropriate and detrimental effects on Indigenous people. As
some scholars have observed, Indigenous students underachieve
in school because a Eurocentric curriculum alienates them
(Adams, 2000; Hesch, 1999; Silver, 2013).
Decolonization promotes an Indigenous model of resilience
in a very real sense “It is not just a set of beliefs. It has developed
into a finely tuned model of Indigenous resiliency. “Those
Indigenous communities that have taken active steps to preserve
and rehabilitate their own cultures are shown to be those in
which youth suicide rates are dramatically lower” Therefore,
Indigenous communities do well when they restore their cultural
traditions from a history of colonial suppression” (Chandler et
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al.,1998). Cree elders advise that the educational agenda ought
to incorporate traditional knowledge and culture in order to
make schooling and programming more relevant and culturally
appropriate to practical life within indigenous communities.
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CONTRASTS BETWEEN LANGUAGE
Language operates within relations of power (Foucault,
1995). Power is used to exclude, silence, or validate certain
bodies. “Foucault believes that power produces ideas of truth,
and that truth and knowledge are socially produced. It is through
understanding the relations of power that we learn how ideas of
truth and knowledge emerge, and how in this process some
people are privileged and others are excluded or silenced.
Language as a discourse is important to the role it plays in the
production of subjectivity. The self emerges through social
processes and events in history” (McKay, 2013). The Eurocentric
mode of communication has historically differed from the
aboriginal communities of Canada. Europeans were captivated
by their ability to move their forms of written language.
Aboriginals on the other hand, were a oral society who passed
knowledge and taught one another through storytelling, this
entailed memorizing an abundance of knowledge in detail. This
knowledge was then passed to the next person through
discourse which created a web community, one that is
connected through knowledge and communication of ideas and
questions, one where each individual collectively has a voice. It is
in this way of thinking that Aboriginal people function with the
basic respect of all people.
Aboriginal identities are socially produced through
language, It is through discourse that we can successfully engage
in Cree language revitalization. In English, there is a
disconnection with others over how language is used, it is
traditionally positioned to access power. In an Aboriginal
epistemology, one is positioned to understand oneself through a
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life long process, a process that extends relationships to the
universe and all that encapsulates life. It is through these
differences in language use that we can begin to see how
aboriginal communication patterns can sometimes contrast
those of English speakers. “The Cree language has purpose; it is
relational to others, not hierarchal. In Cree, language is used
within a paradigm of respect, truth, and humility. Therefore,
language is about connections; English, on the other hand, often
operates in competition, which is to say that it is about relations
of power” (McKay, 2013).
“For Cree people, nature is not something that is external
to them. This philosophy is guided by values of respect,
compassion, generosity, and love for all relations. The idea of
Euro- Western knowledge as superior to Indigenous ways of
knowing disturbs the balance” (Mitchell, 2005). In a Cree
worldview, the emphasis is on the relational aspect of living, or
living amongst and within other valuable beings. Because of
colonization, many aboriginal people were displaced into
Eurocentric systems of knowledge. However, this did not benefit
Cree people, because of power relationships maintained in their
(Eurocentric) interactions often placed them at a disadvantage.
We must remember that our native languages are not
inferior nor is it positioned in hierarchy of who can learn them.
Language is about interconnectivity between people and their
ideas. Foucault theorizes that languages operate within relations
of power, this statement itself is tied to Eurocentric ideals. The
Cree language then, might suggest that language and
intercultural discourse may rely on emotional connection.
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WOMEN’S KNOWLEDGE
Hunting, fishing, and food preservation are all essential
knowledge that has been passed from generation to generation
and is something to be celebrated among Cree people. For
example knowledge of where the fish would be and the ability to
navigate are prerequisites to successful fishing in the James Bay.
“Although men did most of the hunting, it is well known that
women and children traditionally accompanied the hunters on
land” (Ohmagari et al.,1997). Women however frequently
engaged in hunting small game like squirrels, rabbit, and fox
while also occasionally engaging in fishing. The role of women
was considered of equal importance and complementary to the
roles of men. In a community that was reliant on family
members and friends, everyone
had a role to play in need for
survival. Although women
accompanied hunting groups,
they were also in charge of camp
where they were responsible for
food processing, fire making and
cooking.
The role of women is important in this context as they
were knowledgeable in many aspects of living. Unlike men who
were a majority of hunters, the women would hunt, fish, forage,
clean, cook, and take care of the young. In this context it was the
women who became the greatest teachers. In the Cree
community “bush” skills were not taught as part of formal
education, but instead learned through hands on experience and
http://www.crystalinks.com/cree.html
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apprenticeship. Children were told to watch and do as the elders
did. The children also learned important life skills like self-
reliance, independence and competence.
The role of women as knowledge keepers is important in
its own right. With the men out hunting and fishing the women
would still be able to teach hunting and fishing skills to their
children. The repertoire of knowledge that women had of “bush”
skills was equally important if a father did not return or had died
on a hunt. Knowledge could still be passed on to the children by
their mother who was not only knowledgeable in her own duties
but also had extensive knowledge of duties that she did not
herself take part in.
Because of these skills and knowledge held by Cree
women, they are regarded as extremely important to the Cree
way of life and are also regarded as Keepers of Knowledge.
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WOMEN WITHIN CREE CULTURE: PURPOSE, ROLES
AND POWER
It is common knowledge that women within Cree culture
provide knowledge of life. Women are regarded as the “fire
keepers” of their societies; be they woodland, swampy or plains
Cree. But, true understanding of the view on women in Cree
culture can be derived from their language, as well as from their
sense of home. “Iskwew” pronounced (es-kwayw) is the term
used for a woman within the Cree language. This term is taken
from the word for the fire in the centre of the tipi or wigwam
called “iskwuptew” (es-kwup-tayw); this means that the women
were literally named after the warmth and comfort brought by
the fire within the tipi or wigwam.
However, the fluid Cree language like many indigenous
languages was only spoken verbally and was unwritten beyond
pictographs. And like most cultures, the Cree have a story of
origin for themselves as a whole.
As Cree Elder Norm Wesley would say: “I think the
fundamental questions are 'where do we come from? Where am
I? And where are we going?' To know where you are, to know
where you are going, you have to have some sense of where you
come from.”
The sense of where their people “come from” starts with
the Great Spirit Kitchi Manitoo, who, within Cree culture is a
divine being without gender or physical attributes of the like, and
is never personified within Cree stories. This builds the
foundation for gender within Cree culture, as gender fluidity is
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common and accepted even within language. It also builds the
foundation for their creation.
The term “time immemorial” can be used to describe how
old the Cree Creation Story is; Kitchi Manitoo created the earth,
but it was Wasakechak that incited a great flood over the earth
by not following his duty of caring over the earthly beings at that
time. It is from that flood that all beings besides Wasakechak
and an otter, beaver and muskrat drowned. With the help of the
three mammals, Wasakechak formed North and South America
with his ability to expand what had already been created. After
restoring the land from the flood, Kitchi Manitoo is said to have
taken from Wasakechak his ability to expand and created
animals and people for the restored earth. However, the Great
Spirit left Wasakechak only the power to trick and deceive and
he is now known by many Cree as a trickster. This is a Creation
Story wrought with supernatural power, however, this
supernatural power seemed to reflect the fact that the Cree
were a powerful society.
Living in clans; there were separations of duties between
women, men and children. Men were highly associated with
physical power and skill; as their duties ranged from warfare to
hunting, and trapping to building wigwam and tipi framework.
The roles of the women involved using their attention to detail
to push the economy of wares and collectable herbs and foods
forward; they would trap small game and pick medicines, as well
as weave baskets and form pottery. The two gender roles were
high in contrast, but what one lacked, the other made up for.
As for the children, their first roles were to listen. Perhaps
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from ages seven to fourteen they would
learn from their parents and other
relatives about their roles and find
whatever they were most skilled at to help
the rest of the clan family.
It is strongly believed that through
the women; the children and men both
learned the values that are believed to
bring balance to life, as much of the
symbolism for women is associated with the home tipi or
wigwam. It is this very representation of the value of the women
and their teachings that calls for a ceremony to be performed to
honour when a tipi or wigwam is erected.
With many cultural and traditional practices upheld today;
Cree women are monumental role models that constantly push
their societies forward as ambassadors in many different fields.
The warmth of the home fire can be felt in the power of the
women you will read ab out ahead.
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CREE WOMEN TODAY
Mekwan Laura Jane Tulpin
Mekwan Tulpin is of both the
Mushkegowuk Cree Nation of Fort
Albany (Peetabeck) and of Belgian
descent. She is Kuskachahpesh (Owl)
Clan, and the next matriarch in line
according to her family lineage. Her
parents are Mary-Jane Metatawabin
and Leo Tulpin, and she has lived on
both the North and South ends of
Ontario. She lived between Fort
Albany and Simcoe in Norfolk County, Ontario, and now resides
on the Six Nations and Grand River Territory.
Mekwan’s grand-parents, Abraham and Theresa
Metatawabin, and matriarch mother have helped to envelope
her in culture and language – the name “Mekwan” in Cree
means “feather,” and the name “Metatawabin” means “ten
sunrises.” Mekwan’s story is one that has many triumphs and
tribulations; one of the first tribulations she encountered was in
her earlier years when she realized that she could not control the
circumstances she was born into, or how life was presented to
her by her parents. In high school she decided to take charge and
checked herself into a group home to help herself graduate
without interference.
“My upbringing was sort of unique in the sense
that I was living between remote Northern
Mekwan Laura Jane Tulpin Mushkegowuk Cree
Nation of Fort Albany Owl Clan
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Ontario, as well as Simcoe down here,” she said.
“In elementary and high school, living between
those two areas was really different, in the sense
that I had some really unique perspectives.”
Mekwan explained that her uncle and grandparents chose
to live off of the land more, and could be what society would
consider to be “poor,” but were never selfish with love and
affection. She also explained that she tended to be one of very
few students of indigenous descent when living south, and had
to combat many internal feelings of being stereotyped. However,
she never ceased to be proud of who she is and she praises the
community of Fort Albany often as it taught her to be creative
and resourceful. Soon her path grew to follow closely with her
athletic skill in lacrosse.
“Sports and physical activity has always been my
outlet,” she said. “I love lacrosse and all of the
opportunities that it's brought me now. I had
played every single sport possible before –
basketball, baseball, badminton, track and field, I
was a cheerleader and a football player in high
school. I literally did every sport I could in school,
and when I came across lacrosse, it was just that
attraction to the game and wanting to learn
something new.”
The form of lacrosse that is played today is a derivative of
the Haudenosaunee's Tewaarathon, and Mekwan’s interest in
lacrosse bloomed as she craved to understand the indigenous
and cultural aspects of the sport.
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“A part of my introduction to lacrosse was in high
school,” she said. “I remember when I was
younger, like in elementary school, my mom
worked at the Woodland Cultural Centre in
Brantford and she had these books and stuff. And I
remember seeing lacrosse, and then I was like
'what is this sport?' I became fascinated by it from
the books that were there, but I never knew
anything beyond that.”
Mekwan then explained that she asked her gym teacher at
the Simcoe Composite School about lacrosse, because she
wanted to experience it herself. A connection was made with a
woman from Six Nations named “Rose”.
“She would drive all the way from Ohsweken to
Simcoe to pick me up and then she would take me
to practice. Then she would take me back to
Simcoe, and then she would go home herself,” she
said as she began to get emotional. “So, that is a
lot of time in one day to dedicate to one girl in
sport.”
Mekwan said that Rose's efforts made a huge impact on
her participation in the sport, as did Becky Smith. Both of these
woman are now passed on, and Mekwan shared her
thankfulness for them and how they benefited her skill
development. She explained that in the beginning she couldn't
catch, throw or pass – but the challenge wasn't discouraging as
she found she enjoyed developing as a player. She began playing
in a box lacrosse league when she turned twenty-one on the
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Grand River Attack team in the women's division.
After taking off as a player with a lot of dedication to the
sport, Mekwan later became Assistant Captain for Team Ontario
and MVP for the championship game in the Canadian Female
Box Lacrosse Nationals in Calgary in 2015.
Mekwan was also involved in playing field lacrosse and
tried out for the Haudenosaunee Women’s National Team.
“I had tried out for the Haudenosaunee Women's
Team, but there's only like three spots available
for non-Haudenodaunee members and I'm Cree,”
she said. “So, there were really great skilled girls
from B.C., and Southern Ontario and from the
states too, and it was only like my fourth season
playing lacrosse,” she explained.
She made it to the second-to-last cuts for the team, but
she broke her wrist and it affected her try-out capacity.
However, that didn't stop her from travelling to Oshawa for the
tournament to support the Haudenosaunee team. While there,
she wondered if there was a Belgium team, and she decided to
incite help to establish a women's team in Belgium by reaching
out to their lacrosse league online.
“They said 'it's funny you ask, we're looking to
establish a national women's team,'” she said.
“So, for the 2015 European Lacrosse
Championships, I attended those with the Belgium
team.”
“It's cool because now I'm a part of that history,”
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28
she said. “That was the first-ever national lacrosse
team for Belgium.”
Mekwan is very thankful for the opportunities she has
been given. She tributes much of the confidence she has
developed to her involvement with Turtle Concepts and the
strength she admires within her mother. She is now the female
lead in Lacrosse 4 Development (L4D) with Right to Play, an
instructor with the Haudenosaunee Lacrosse Program and a
member of the Aboriginal Sport and Wellness Council of Ontario.
She hopes to be an example for indigenous youth and inspire
them to live healthy lives. The advice she would like to offer to
youth, aspiring athletes and even those that simply read her
story is very sound:
“Stick to your passions and what you enjoy,
because it will eventually become something,” she
said. “It will eventually come to fruition and
something will line up, that's just the way it goes.
The universe is always going to take care of you
Belgian Women’s National Team at the
European Lacrosse Championships in
Nymurk Czech Republic (2015)
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somehow is what I like to believe, so the strongest
part of that would be participation.”
“Just having the courage to participate, and take
the opportunities as they come,” she said.
Mekwan began her sport pathway competing in the North
American Indigenous Games (2002, 2006, 2014) and has been
involved as an athlete, sport manager or coach. She has since
participated in multidisciplinary sporting activities at various
levels of competition and has received numerous recognitions
and life experiences. Her highest honour will be competing at the
FIL Women’s Lacrosse World Cup this summer in Surrey,
England. She often shares about the significant impacts made for
her through life so far as a multi sport athlete, taking healthy
risks and choosing to reinvent her history.
DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS
30
Rosary Spence
“Any opportunity I get to talk about my
culture, where I come from and the
traditions behind making mukluks is
important to me. It’s all about
educating and creating awareness of a
culture that’s so beautiful.” - The
Reflector, December 2014
Rosary Spence is of the
Mushkegowak Cree from the Fort
Albany First Nation on the west coast
of James Bay, ON. She is the second eldest of four brothers and
three sisters, and has worked in social working as well as
broadened her education in marketing and business. Once living
in the remote, fly-in reserve of the Fort Albany First Nation, she
now resides in Toronto, ON.
Spence found that she always had
an affinity for both the arts and artistry
early on, as she found herself enjoying
drama, choir, band and traditional bead-
work. She is now a singer and songwriter,
as well as a designer for the Manitobah
Mukluks – a well-renowned company
that contracts indigenous artists to help
keep indigenous traditions alive.
But, it was Spence's grandmother
that was the first to introduce her to
traditional leather-working. She
Rosary Spence Mushkegowak Cree
Fort Albany
Mukluks by
Rosary Spence
DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS
31
explained that her grandmother was a “very creative” woman
and used her bead work to make intricate designs for moccasins,
furnishings and even clothing made by hand.
“My grandmother was a very well-respected
moccasin maker and she was very, very intricate
with her bead work and with the leather works
that she created,” said Spence. “So, I was around
that a lot growing up and my grandmother played
a major role in how I create things today and the
hard work I do today as a workshop facilitator,
and educator. A lot of her teachings are engraved
in me and I'm able to share them.”
Spence was taught how to
bead by her grandmother at a very
young age, and from her interest in
the arts she takes as many
opportunities as she can. She is
currently designing for a new
international company called
Dreamcatcher Eye-Wear, and has
been an ambassador and design-consultant for her brother's
graphic design company called Urbanish. In July of this year,
Spence plans to learn how to work with and utilize Italian leather
styles in Florence, Italy. But even as a busy artist, she never
forgets to attribute much of her inspiration for designing and
song writing to her community.
“I find that in my journey so far [art has] offered a
great deal of healing for me and I'm very thankful
for that, to be able to have that ability to heal
Beading by Rosary Spence
DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS
32
myself but also contribute to society this way,” she
said. “Whether I'm performing as a singer or
songwriter, I always acknowledge the territory
that I come from and a lot of my music is inspired
by my family which is back home,” she said. “As a
designer, a lot of my work and inspiration comes
from my home territory. Anytime I have an
opportunity to interview or speak in the media, or
if I'm working in a community arts company – I'm
always, always giving reference to my community
that I'm from.”
Spence learned as much as she could during her time with
her grandparents, who “lived off of the land.” But, she is also a
survivor of the Children's Aid Society (CAS) system – which is
often compared to the Sixties Scoop during the onslaught of
residential schools. She explained that from four to 16 years old
her life was “unstable,” and that she was never in one place long
enough to make friends. Yet out of this came one of her biggest
drives which is to be a good role model for younger generations
– especially for her daughter.
“My daughter was born when I was 16, so I have
an 18 year old daughter now,” she said. “But one
of the things she said to me when I moved to
Toronto in 2008 was she was so amazed by the
city and by everything here, she said 'can I grow
up here?' And it brought me back to when I was a
kid and wanting so bad to just grow up in one
place, but I was never able to for reasons that
were beyond my control. Now I could give her that
DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS
33
opportunity to grow up somewhere and be stable,
so I did.”
Spence explained that she was able to overcome all of the
issues and abuses of her childhood that were imposed on her,
because she wanted nothing but a good life for her family.
“I have to do it not only for myself, and not only
for my community, but for the younger ones
coming up,” she said.
Out of being placed in different homes, Spence explained
that when she was 12 years old she was very fortunate to have
lived with an indigenous family. It was at this time that she
completed her first fast and reached a different level of
spirituality she had never experienced before. This has brought
her to think about “urban” indigenous people – who might not
have been given the opportunity to develop a spiritual and
cultural connection – and how she can help them.
“Part of my act of resistance I would say, against
colonization, is my act of being a part of a
movement of reviving culture. So, bringing old
practices that not a lot of people practice anymore
and bringing it to the forefront,” she said. “I did
hide-tanning workshops in the city and I've done
them for mainly indigenous women so far, but I've
done some that involve men and women.”
“I also do moccasin making, mukluk making – any
leather work shop really,” she said. “I do Cree
language workshops and classes. And I would
DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS
34
eventually like to get into land-based survival skills
and getting proper training for those workshops
to teach indigenous youth living in an urban
setting.”
This is a part of one of her upcoming goals – to be to be
able to provide a camp that allows urban indigenous youth to
come away from the city to enjoy time learning survival skills and
re-connecting with the land. Currently, she is in the process of
writing a memoir titled after her daughters question, “Can I
Grow Up Here?”
She hopes that with her own story, she can encourage
indigenous people to take opportunities as they present
themselves, just as she has done. Her life and journey is one of
triumph over both stereotypes and hardships; but she is proof
that with a strong mind and dedication, one can beat the odds.
DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS
35
Rosary Spence
RECORDING ARTIST • ACTOR
DESIGNER • WORKSHOP FACILITATOR
Website: www.rosaryspence.ca
www.dreamcatchereyewear.com
Twitter: @rosaryspence
Instagram: @rosaryspence
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/rosaryspence
www.facebook.com/designsbyrosary
Listen to Rosary Spence on @AppleMusic.
https://itun.es/ca/jnswN
DAUGHTERS, SISTERS, WIVES & MOTHERS
36
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Chandler, M. J., & Lalonde, C. (1998). Cultural continuity as a hedge against suicide in Canada's First Nations. Transcultural psychiatry, 35(2), 191-219.
Hansen, J. G., & Antsanen, R. (2016). Elders' teachings about resilience and its implications for education in dene and cree communities. International Indigenous Policy Journal, 7(1) Retrieved from http://proxy.library.brocku.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1762752388?accountid=9744
McKay, M. (2013). Language, Identity, Power Relations, and Discourse: A Cree Language Response to Linguistic Imperialism. Native Studies Review, 22(1/2), 27-53.
Michell, H. (2005) Nehithawak of Reindeer Lake, Canada: Worldview, epistemology & relationships with the natural world. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 34, 33–43.
Ohmagari, K., & Berkes, F. (1997). Transmission of indigenous knowledge and bush skills among the western james bay cree women of subarctic canada. Human Ecology, 25(2), 197-222. Retrieved from http://proxy.library.brocku.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/206004180?accountid=9744
Silver, J. (2013). Aboriginal adult education: Combating poverty and colonization. In J. Silver (Ed.), Moving forward, giving back: Transformative Aboriginal adult education (Chapter
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1). Winnipeg: Fernwood Publishing.
Valaskakis, G. G., Stout, M. D., & Guimond, E. (2009). Restoring the balance: First Nations women, community, and culture. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn0zJ1QH2Zc
http://www.sicc.sk.ca/archive/heritage/ethnography/cree/origin/oral.html
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http://www.sicc.sk.ca/archive/heritage/ethnography/cree/origin/oral.html
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