In Our Own Aboriginal Voice

By Lori Shwydky

“It’s not often you find the writings of a teenager lumped in with those of a man serving a life prison sentence. In Our Own Aboriginal Voice is a collection of stories that spans such diverse experiences because most First Nations writing, by definition, includes difficult and treacherous life paths.”- (BC Booklook, Nov. 10, 2016)

In Our Own Aboriginal Voice is a collection of 24 short stories, poems, memoirs, non-fiction, and even a few scripts, written by 13 Aboriginal authors from ages young to old, weaved around a background of art created by Aboriginal artists. Of the many themes reflected, the one constant thread unifying them is a sense of strength, resilience, and hope.

“We are just as diverse in our cultural practises and understandings as other people are. The one thing that binds [us] to others is our mutual desire to learn where we came from and to replicate what was once an amazing culture that we feel incredibly proud of belonging to.”- (from the forward by Terri Mack, Strong Nations.)

– Prayer: Coming Together, Darlene McIntosh
– Rebirth of a Nation, Mary-Ann Chevrier
– The Beat and the Walk, Kris J Skinner
– Moccasins, Spencer Sheehan-Kalina
– Flood Damage, Michael Calvert
– Past Energy Outlet, Tara DeSousa
– Queering While Brown: How I Attempt Two-Spiritedness in 2016, Kevin Henry
– Artifact, Spencer Sheehan-Kalina
– Understanding Colonization, Kevin Henry
– Tears of the 19th Century, Tara DeSousa
– Fallen Over, Michael Calvert
– Stolen Generations: Intergenerational Traumas, Residential Schools and Indian Peoples, Kevin Henry
– Where I Belong, Natalia Auger Nybida
– Running Freely, Ry-Lee Pearson
– Gilwa, Joe Starr
– Waiting For Me, Maryann Dick
– Yellow Mouse Doorway, Tara DeSousa
– Teenagers, Kirsten Sam
– This is My Story, Jerry Smaaslet
– Medicine Wheel Teaching, Jerry Smaaslet
– Becoming a Warrior, Jerry Smaaslet
– Manitou, Spencer Sheehan-Kalina
– Strayed, Michael Calvert
– Prayer: Honouring Our Elders & Ancestors, Darlene McIntosh

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lori Shwydky
• Release date: Nov 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9780994730251

Book preview

In Our Own

Aboriginal Voice

Copyright 2016 Rebel Mountain Press

Published by Rebel Mountain Press at Smashwords

Individual copyrights belong to authors, artists, and photographers

All rights revert to authors, artists, and photographers on publication.

No short story, poem, script, or essay published in this book may be reproduced by any means without the express written permission of the author and/or publisher.

No illustration, photograph, or other part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the express written permission of the artist and/or publisher.

__________________________________________________________

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Shwydky, Lori, editor

In Our Own Aboriginal Voice-2016:

- a collection of Aboriginal writers and artists in BC

Issued in print and electronic format:

ISBN 978-0-9947302-4-4 (bound)

ISBN 978-0-9947302-5-1 (epub)

GST#: 84133 0921

__________________________________________________________

Rebel Mountain Press—Nanoose Bay, BC, Canada

Writing contest in partnership with Vancouver Island Regional Library

www.rebelmountainpress.com

www.inourownvoice.com

www.virl.bc.ca

Printed and bound in Canada by Marquis Imprimeur Inc., 2700 rue Rachel St. E, Montreal, Quebec H2H 1S7

In Our Own Aboriginal Voice:

—a collection of Aboriginal writers and artists in BC

Edited by Lori Shwydky

Cover design & layout by Cheryl Ann Kelly

Ebook created by Kathleen Reed

Back cover totem located at Wachiay Friendship Centre (Courtenay) created by Tim Alfred, Tommy Hunt Jr., & David Knox

With thanks to our 2016 panel of Judges:

Naomi Bailey, Teacher-SD68

Patricia Geddes, Student Engagement and Community Outreach Librarian, Vancouver Island University

Cheryl Ann Kelly, Teacher-SD71

Lori Shwydky, Editor/Publisher - Rebel Mountain Press

With Special Thanks to Vancouver Island Regional Library for support, and partial sponsorship of contest prizes.

~And to Terri Mack for writing the Forward.

Rebel Mountain Press-Nanoose Bay, BC, Canada

For our brother-in-law,

~ Allan Robertson ~

(Coast Salish heritage)

. . . a gentle Warrior who left us too soon.

~ Lori & Cheryl-Ann

1951 – 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 – Forward, by Terri Mack

9 – Prayer: Coming Together, Darlene McIntosh

11 – Rebirth of a Nation, Mary-Ann Chevrier

13 – The Beat and the Walk, Kris J Skinner

18 – Moccasins, Spencer Sheehan-Kalina

19 – Flood Damage, Michael Calvert

28 – Past Energy Outlet, Tara DeSousa

32 – Queering While Brown: How I Attempt Two-Spiritedness in 2016, Kevin Henry

38 – Artifact, Spencer Sheehan-Kalina

40 – Understanding Colonization, Kevin Henry

42 – Tears of the 19th Century, Tara DeSousa

49 – Fallen Over, Michael Calvert

50 – Stolen Generations: Intergenerational Traumas, Residential Schools and Indian Peoples, Kevin Henry

58 – Where I Belong, Natalia Auger Nybida

63 – Running Freely, Ry-Lee Pearson

64 – Gilwa, Joe Starr

71 – Waiting For Me, Maryann Dick

73 – Yellow Mouse Doorway, Tara DeSousa

82 – Teenagers, Kirsten Sam

85 – This is My Story, Jerry Smaaslet

88 – Medicine Wheel Teaching, Jerry Smaaslet

92 – Becoming a Warrior, Jerry Smaaslet

95 – Manitou, Spencer Sheehan-Kalina

96 – Strayed, Michael Calvert

97 – Prayer: Honouring Our Elders & Ancestors, Darlene McIntosh

Meet the Authors and Artists:

99 – Author Bios

104 – Artist Bios

Forward

~ by Terri Mack

At 54 years old, I continue to explore and understand my own way of being an individual who is both Canadian and Indigenous. Individually and collectively, as Indigenous Peoples, we are all at different stages of understanding our culture. North American Indigenous cultures are rich with diversity yet it can be perceived and misunderstood that we are all but one and the same; that we are fighting for our rights, our lands, our children, in a manner that seems to be organized across the lands. In fact, we are not. In many ways, we have become just like the known silos of contemporary urban culture, putting ourselves into our many places within our own communities. It will take generations ahead of us to collectively organize across the lands, as we are still trying to mend the wounds of when we were ripped apart, as families and as communities. We must heal our homes and ourselves before we can heal our many lands.

In compilations as this, there is opportunity to explore the depths of cultural knowledge, from both inside and outside many cultural communities. We explore and make comparisons to our own cultural practises and histories, as many of us experience disconnect and displacement from the warm blanket of any cultural belonging. Upon our own independent immersion, we find many bumps in the journey as each new layer of ourselves, our past, our ancestor’s past, reveal themselves to us. Those moments of pain, of shame, of pride and of love are all interspersed with the continued onslaught of contemporary views and news. Finding a solid piece of land, in theory, to stand on and rediscover who we are individually, and collectively, without bias is a feat unto itself. It can leave some of us in places of darkness, just as it would anyone. It can leave some of us as servants to our own people, just as it would anyone. It can leave some of us wanting to fight back, just as it would anyone. It can leave some of us wanting to build bridges of understanding across peoples, just as it would anyone. We are all just as diverse in our cultural practises and understandings as all other peoples are. The one thing that binds myself to others is our mutual desire to learn where we came from and to replicate what was once an amazing culture that we feel incredibly proud of belonging to.

We are all surrounded with misconceptions, myths and written words that have put us in a past tense. The time for our own stories has arrived, our own written words, our own voices. It is through our stories that we discover our roots. They feed us. They make us strong. I hope that through the words expressed on these pages and others, that they give you opportunity to reflect on who you are.

-Terri Mack

Terri Mack, Kay Kwee Kway Kwa, is a member of the Da'naxda'xw Awaetlala Nation. Terri has worked within Aboriginal Education for 20 years, 17 within the public system of Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District and lastly on reserve with Stz'uminus First Nation as the Community Literacy Coordinator. During her career within education, 16 of those years have been dearly dedicated to literacy initiatives around the province of BC, having worked in partnership with SFU, VIU, and many school districts. Terri is the owner of Strong Nations which is both an on-line Indigenous book store and most recently a new retail location as well as Strong Nations Publishing Inc. which has published just over 130 titles.

Darlene McIntosh

Elder with Lheidli