Later in my life,
the government came into the picture, and because we didn't have family names
and they could not say our given names properly, we were given Inuit
numbers. Mine is E5-1613.
(chapter: Zacharias
Kunuk, Story of My Life)
In 1981 there was
still no television in my community.
This was because back in 1975 our community voted for no TV, and again
in 1979. (chapter: Zacharias Kunuk,
Story of My Life)
Indigenous cultures
recognize the need for performance and repetition. Back in the day, just about everything was
performative --whether it was planting, making fire, paddling canoes, going
through rites of passage on taking part in large gatherings at sacred sites
where clans and nations came together. (chapter: Monique Mojica, Verbing Art)
To this day, the war
against Indigenous peoples, our lands, our women and children remains largely
unacknowledged, along with the ways in which racial and gender violence are
inextricably bound to settler/colonial greed and to those who continue to benefit
from it. (chapter: Monique Mojica, Verbing Art)
I do not know if in
my lifetime I will see a day when we, as Indigenous artists, can simply create
because, as artists, we must. What would
we create if we were not perpetually "in reaction to" the colonizer?
(chapter: Monique Mojica, Verbing Art)
Mimicking the
butterfly motion, fancy shawl dancers infuse intricate footwork and sweeping
arm movements to transform colourful, patterned fancy shawls into wings. The dancers find balance in repetition and
moving in various directions. (chapter: Karyn Recollet, For Sisters)
When an oppressed
people get their voice back, one of the first things they write about is their
oppression, the reasons for it and the continuing effects of it. (chapter: Drew
Hayden Taylor, Once Upon a Medium)
Being a storyteller
is like being God, but in a non-sacrilegious manner. It's the ability to create universes and
people. (chapter: Drew Hayden Taylor, Once Upon a Medium)
Everyone loves a
great ghost story and a sweet love story.
Everyone loves hearing a story about how someone beat the unbeatable.
(chapter: Richard Van Camp, Uncle Richard Van Camp's Storytelling Tips)
