West Coast writers visit Six Nations

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Larry Loyie went back to school, learned grammar and taught himself how to type. Today, he is author of Ora Pro Nobis (Pray for Us), a two act play, and As Long as the Rivers Flow, a children's book that won the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian children's non-fiction.

Loyie, a Cree born in Slave Lake, Alta., and his partner Constance Brissenden originated the Living Tradition Writers group "to encourage writing within First Nations communities." They travelled to Six Nations from their home in Vancouver, B.C. to celebrate Public Library Week in the community from Feb. 9 to 15. During their four-day visit, they toured the elementary schools and talked with students.

Loyie and co-author Brissenden gave a reading from As Long as the Rivers Flow at a social presented by the Six Nations Library, and they were interviewed on local radio. As Long as the Rivers Flow is the story of the last summer Larry spent with his family before he was taken to St. Bernard's, a residential school in Alberta.

"I always wanted to write a story that would honour my grandmother," he said.

Loyie's grandmother, Bella Twin, is known for shooting the largest bear in North America and has been a subject of Field and Stream interviews as well as part of the Guinness Book of World Records. Part of Larry's book tells the tale of the encounter between Bella and the bear.

Loyie writes about what he knows. "It's important to find your own voice," he said. "And write with truth and honesty." His previous works deal with the residential school issue of which he is familiar. Loyie was taken away from his family at the age of ten and spent the next four years in residential school.

Loyie and Brissenden travel across Canada speaking about their book and their experience as writers. "It took five years for As Long as the Rivers Flow to be published," said Loyie.

Much of that time was spent with rewrites. "At first, the publishers wanted 4,000 words but as time went on, the word count kept increasing," he said. The book finally ended at around 5,000 words.

It was also Loyie's strong sense of negotiation that contributed to the book's final published story line. The publishers had wanted the story to reflect a somewhat happier ending for Lawrence, the main character. It was Loyie's value of honesty and truth in his writing that made him stand his ground about keeping the original ending to the book. As in real life, not every story has a happy ending.

This was Loyie and Brissenden's third visit to Six Nations. "We love it here," said Brissenden. "It feels like home."

Loyie is currently working on another book with Brissenden-When the Spirits Dance. It addresses the treatment of Native veterans by the government.