From the Editors’ Desk
Muses from the North continues to remain relevant since its launch in 2017. Two of our former student writers/artists were able to have their works republished by other outlets. Brie Philips (B.A.), a Métis teacher and artist, who is currently working as an elementary school teacher in Sun West School Division, Kenaston, Saskatchewan, first published her art work, “Roots”, in the Fall issue of MFTN, 2019, while still a student in the Kenanow Faculty of Education at UCN. In March 2021, her graphic book, Roots, based on her first publication in MFTN, was published by the Manitoba Association for Retired Teachers. The book is presently being distributed among Grades 5-6 pupils across Manitoba schools. Kudos, Brie! We are happy to be part of your success. “Delighted at Dawn and Dusk,” a series of paintings published in the first issue of MFTN by another ex-student of UCN, Ellora Reddy, is featured in a short film by a free-lance film maker (Dr. Scientist Dusk Pedal Demo https://youtu.be/zkIgjBVkrJw). These stories are testaments to the fact that the world is closely following the happenings at MFTN.
The editors at MFTN have recently been involved in a couple of activities to promote the journal. On April 19, 2021, we had a radio interview with Artic Radio, The Pas (https://thepasonline.com/assets/podcaster/1742/2021_04_22_1742_102772_
3172.mp3). Also, from May 20 to 22, we gave a conference presentation with the title “Studying in Challenge Times: Reflections on the Covid-19 Pandemic by Indigenous Students at the University College of the North,” at an international virtual
conference – Indigenous-Led Countermeasures to Coronavirus (Covid-19) and other Panics Then, Now, and into the Future: KITATIPITHITAMAK MTHWAYAWIN https://covid19indigenous.ca/program/). The conference talk is based on excerpts from the 7th issues of MFTN.
This 8th issue of MFTN, like the 7th, is theme-focused, namely, “Reflections and Knowledge of the Land.” We sent out the call for submissions in January, 2021. All UCN students, Indigenous and non-Indigenous were encouraged to tell their stories about land, based on their own cultural and traditional knowledge. Since most of the students at UCN are Indigenous, with most of them being Cree, we thought it would be interesting to document their responses to the central questions about their relationship to, and knowledge of the land.
We are excited to report that we received 16 submissions from 14 writers/artists. The student writers are from Dr. Zulfquar Hyder’s Creative Writing class, Dr. Gilbert McInnis’ Composition and Creativity class, and Dr. Ying Kong’s Major Writers and Works of the 20th Century, and Indigenous Literature of the World classes. We are grateful to the mentioned instructors for inspiring, encouraging, and motivating their students to contribute to this project.
This special issue has a variety of genres that tell stories about the land. The issue opens with a reflective story, “Blue Berries and White Skin,” written by Darlene Wilson, a Métis student who was raised in Flin Flon. Her memoir evolves into the narration of the relationship between a young girl and her grandfather, but told from the girl’s perspective. Her memory of the wild blueberry from the land has nurtured her ancestors, her family, and her children. Wilson’s piece is followed by Christine McKay’s “Nature=Nurture.” As a member of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Christine McKay uses her painting to restate the Seven Sacred Teachings of her people. “Nurture=Nature” shows us the power of Indigenous women. Kailyn Coutts-Ramstead, born and raised in The Pas, Manitoba, places herself as the speaker in the poem, “To Mother Earth.” Growing up at Clearwater Lake, Kailyn’s appreciation of nature has grown stronger and stronger. Kelly Laybolt’s reflective story, “Remembering Our Teaching,” reminiscences on his participation in the Scouts Canada Program from 2007 to 2013. His memoir of camping in the north shows readers how they were taught to respect the land. Having been raised in the north, Madison Gurniak has been fascinated by Northern Lights. The author associates the northern lights with the land. Madison shows through her art and research that she is truly the northern girl who has fallen in love with the northern lights.
Connections to one’s homeland is vital for immigrants living in Canada. Sandreka Kaczoroski’s poem, “A Cry to My Countrymen” expresses her feelings toward her countrymen in the Island of Jamaica. While the author identifies with her native land with all its complexities, she also wants to integrate into her new country. Sandreka’s second article in this issue is a research paper, “Indigenous Peoples and Land,” in which she adopts a close textual reading of selected texts by three Indigenous authors around the globe to reveal the close connection that exists between Indigenous peoples’ identity and their lands. Lance Laycock adopts the first-person point of view to tell a story about his family’s fishing spot through his grandfather’s voice. “Family Spot 2070 and Global Warming” is a futuristic story that reminds readers of the deadly result of global warming.
Kayla Wall’s “The Girl Who Save Our Land” is a tragical story, but one with the crucial lesson that one person can make all the difference in the world: “For many of you, this story is just a myth and stories people tell their children. To me, it’s real because I lived with it. This is more than just a story; this is how my people’s land came to be.” Addressing the damages done to the environment through construction and development, a Cree mother of two boys, Nateshia Constant-Personius expresses sorrow over the loss of their fertile land. Her poem “The Sorrow for Our Future Generations” connects the past, the present, and the future, and laments the destruction of nature in the wake of progress and development. Ian Sinclair, an Indigenous young man from Cross Lake adopts his grandfather’s mantra as the title of his reflective piece, “You Must Respect the Land.” It admonishes the reader on the importance of respecting the land and caring for the animals on the land. The last piece in this issue is a research paper written by Catherine Ross, a Cree woman from Cross Lake, with the title, “Indigenous Identity and Cultures: Potiki by Patricia Grace, Where We Once Belonged by Sia, Figiel, and No Sugar by Jack Davis.” The author shows her great interest in the cultures of Indigenous peoples of the world through the close reading of the texts by Indigenous writers from New Zealand, Samoa, and Australia. She concludes the essay by reiterating the strong connection that exists between Indigenous peoples and the land because Land provides them the space to practice their culture and to pass on their spirit.
In conclusion, we would like to express our gratitude to the land upon which the campuses of the University College of the North, including all its regional centres are located. This land which is known as Treaty No. 5 territory is the traditional territory of Muskegowuk Inninnowuk or Swampy Cree, the Dene, Saulteaux, Oji-Cree, Anishinaabe, and the Metis Nations.