Youth’s story about First Nations dance to be published
Youth’s story about First Nations dance to be published
Devon Clifton has always been proud of his involvement in First Nations dance, but now he’s getting the chance to tell the whole country about it.
When Clifton got an e-mail about a writing contest sponsored by the Provincial Capital Commission he didn’t think much about it at first.
Then three days before the contest deadline he decided to put his story on paper and take his chances.
“I stayed up a whole night with my mom just fixing my story, and it was a bit hard because it was only allowed to be a certain number of words, and I had written like 1,000,” he said.
“So we had to shorten everything, even my title for it.”
Out of 93 entries from Aboriginal youth across BC, Clifton’s story was chosen to be published in comic book form and distributed across Canada.
“I was very impressed with both the number and the calibre of the submissions we received,” said Matt Vickers, a board member of the commission that organized the contest alongside the Healthy Aboriginal Network.
“This kind of contest goes a long way to letting young people know about how they can contribute to the greater good.”
The network has been creating comic books on health and social issues for youth since last year and has released three comic books, with five others in the works.
Its biggest comic was entitled Darkness Calls and dealt with the issue of suicide prevention. It has sold 50,000 copies across Canada to date.
The most recent comic deals with the issue of gambling addiction.
“I was contacted by the Provincial Capital Commission who wanted to engage with Aboriginal youth, and wanted to hold a story-telling contest for schools across the province on the topic of pride in their community,” said Sean Muir, executive director for the network.
“Devon was one of the entries, and we just went ‘holy cow, this is a fantastic story,’ so now we’re working on expanding it into a comic book with him.”
While the story is about Clifton’s own path to becoming a Tsimshian dancer and learning more about his heritage, there are universal themes in it that will resonate with all young Aboriginals who read it.
“I put in the story how it’s our turn to change the world, and making a future for the First Nations. Today, with everyone doing gang stuff, nobody is doing proud by their First Nation heritage,” said Clifton.
“I was aiming to make my ancestors proud with my writing, and I would say I have come a long way from another person since I started.”
“It's good to see some of our young people step up and take on some challenges,'' said Elder Matthew Hill.
Clifton is completing his high school education and training to get his first certification in welding.
But Clifton says that no matter what direction his education and working life takes him, having his story published has sparked a love for writing that he plans to continue.
The Crooked Good
By Louise Bernice Halfe
160 Pages • 51/2" X 81/2"
$14.95CN
Trade Paper • Poetry
ISBN: 978–1–55050–372-2
Through the voice of ê-kwêskit – Turn-around Woman – Louise Halfe guides the reader on a three-fold journey down a path where the personal, the historical and the mythic walk hand-in-hand.
Louise Halfe revisits familiar Aboriginal themes, but pushes them farther than she has before in this third collection of her moving, powerful poetry. The ancestors speak through a Mother’s fireside stories, and the figure of Rolling Head recurs everywhere on the path - as nightmare, as conscience, as maternal lover.
The heartbreaking dysfunction of a Native family, and the haunted memories and temptations of one woman’s quest, are tempered by the tenderness, the loyalty, and the outbursts of earthy laughter that distinguish Louise Halfe’s unique gifts as a poet and as mediator between two cultures.
Louise Halfe has two previous book publications to her credit, both of them published by Coteau Books. Bear Bones & Feathers received the Canadian Peoples Poet Award, and was a finalist for the Spirit of Saskatchewan Award at the Saskatchewan Book Awards.
Blue Marrow, originally published by McLelland & Stewart, was released in a revised, re-edited edition by Coteau. It was a finalist for both the Governor General’s Award for Poetry and the Pat Lowther Award, and for Saskatchewan Book of the Year and Saskatchewan Poetry awards.
Louise Bernice Halfe's Cree name is Sky Dancer. She was born on the Saddle Lake Reserve in Two Hills, AB in 1953. At the age of sixteen, she left residential school, and completed studies at St. Paul’s regional high school. It was at this time that she began writing a journal about her life experiences.
Halfe made her debut as a poet in Writing the Circle: Native Women of Western Canada, the acclaimed anthology of life-writings by Native women. Louise served as Saskatchewan’s Poet Laureate in 2005 and 2006. She lives and works in Saskatoon.