Ni tipeyihtenan ōhi acimōwina | We own these stories. The Marrow. A Conversation with Sky Dancer about Writing and Righting Our Truth and Place in Canada

Please join us on Friday, March 25 for “Ni tipeyihtenan ōhi acimōwina | We own these stories. The Marrow. A Conversation with Sky Dancer about Writing and Righting Our Truth and Place in Canada”. This virtual event is presented by the Indigenous Initiatives Speakers Series. REDI is honored to welcome Louise Bernice Halfe – Sky Dancer, Parliamentary Poet Laureate.

Indigenous writing is mostly informed by personal experience as a member of an immediate and extended – often times large though tightly knit families. It’s also shaped by our connection to each other by order of importance – my tribe, my relatives, all surrounding First Nations, all Indigenous peoples in BC and Canada, and all Indigenous peoples anywhere in the world. In our communities, who one’s relations are and what roles one plays in one’s extended family say much about who one is. It is this unique affiliation that has created insights for all who to wish to better understand the cultural and political aspirations of Indigenous peoples.

Louise Bernice Halfe – Sky Dancer has uplifted and deepened this experience from the roots of her ancient teachings to that of a collective spirit through her poetry and stories. In her own words from Sôhkêyihta: The Poetry of Sky Dancer Louise Bernice Halfe she eloquently inspires us to “Have courage. Be brave. Be strong. Sôhkêyihta is a gentle, commanding word used to encourage people to stand strong while they face adversity. In order to move forward one must have the stamina, sometimes, to excise the oozing infection of a wound. I believe all that I have written has been about that excavation. Therefore, I encourage readers to stay grounded as they encounter their own shadows, or their own truths, in these stories. I walk. I meditate. Wrestle. I’ve pulled out my heart, wrung and strung it on the clothesline. These stories are a cumulative tear, a ceremonial gathering. That is why we sing, dance, and pray. Sôhkêyihta.”

“We own these stories. The marrow.” They are the core of all that we are in an ongoing effort to right and write our truth and place in Canada. We invite you to join the conversation, and in so doing, let’s create a language that is generous of understanding and compassion about the redress of what we believe ourselves to be – as Indigenous peoples, and as Canadians.

Please note that this event will not have a Q&A portion but the REDI office is happy to receive questions at redi.office@ubc.ca