Feisty Metis university professor wins fight against forced retirement

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People

Some call her a rebel, some say she's a trouble maker, but they all agree that history professor Olive Dickason is a feisty woman who knows how to fight for her rights.

Recently Dickason, who teaches Aboriginal history at the University of Alberta, made headlines for her fight against the university's mandatory retirement laws.

Dickason has won two rulings, one from Alberta Human Rights and another from an arbitrator, that say the university should reinstate the 67-year-old. However, the university is now appealing the last ruling and has applied for a stay of judgment while negotiations continue.

But Dickason is far from downhearted by the university's action, saying she feels confident that further judgments will go her way.

"If the next round goes in my favour they (the university) would be foolish to appeal again. But if necessary I will take it to the Alberta court of appeal and even the Supreme Court," she says vehemently.

Despite the ongoing battle between Dickason and the university she still retains her campus office complete with walls of books, catalogues and papers which tower over her five foot frame.

Pushing aside a mountain of paperwork, Dickason explains that fighting is not new to her. She recollects her first fight which took place in a Saskatchewan school yard when another student accused her of being Indian.

"IN those days we just did not talk about it," she says. "But when that child teased me it struck a cord and I fought back."

Dickason's family never talked about their Metis heritage and it was only as she grew older and began to delve into the family history that Dickason confirmed her Aboriginal heritage.

"According to oral family history, our family is related to Gabriel Dumont's wife who was a Wilkie, but that's just about all I know. When I get enough time I'll sit down and try to work it all out," she says, smiling.

Dickason was "raised in the bush" of Saskatchewan and took school by correspondence. But, thanks to a kindly priest who saw her talents, she was later able to take university education at the Notre Dame school in Saskatchewan.

Shortly after graduating with a bachelor of arts in French and philosophy, she "accidently" began a career as a newspaper reporter.

"I was looking for work and some friends took me down to the Regina Leader Post where I got my first job. I later joined the Winnipeg Free Press, and the Globe and Mail," she says.

However, after several years of journalism, and three children, Dickason felt a need to change careers and do something completely different.

She again returned to school to take her master's degree in history. But even that wasn't enough; Dickason decided to go on and get her doctorate in history.

"I then did something very strange, at least according to my colleagues. I wanted to specialize in Indian history."

Dickason explains that in the lat '60s and '70s when she was studying, the old-fashioned ideas of Indians by "savages" still dominated even the minds of learned professors of history. Dickason decided to prove them wrong and became one of the first professors of history to specialize in Aboriginal peoples.

"I used to sit in classes and listen to these professors and find I was personally insulted by what they were teaching about Aboriginal people. It was then I decided to specialize in Native history and prove them wrong."

Dickason began to study history from an Indian point of view, but without "standing on a soap box because there's just too much of that these days," she adds.

"I wanted to see the other side of the story and I hope that in my small way I have made a difference."

During her studies Dickason found that, contrary to current thought, Indian societies were fully formed and the western idea of Indian "savages" was just a myth.

Shortly after her discovery Dickason published her most famous book The Myth of the Savage which debunked the old stereotypes and proved that Indian society culd rival any other.

Her next book, called Indian Arts in Canada, was an art review book which treated Indian art as equal to famous western artists, rather than "cute Indian crafts."

"Some Indian art is as sophisticated as any art in the world," she says. "But so often it is not treated as such in Canada. Overseas, in such places such as Germany, they love it and treat it with respect."

Dickason's other famous "fight" came in the early '70s when the Ottawa Museum of Man (now the Museum of Civilization) was compelled to display a contemporary exhibition of Indian art.

"The exhibition had just been viewed in Europe and was due to come to Canada, but the gallery where it was supposed to be exhibited was unable to put on the show, so the Ottawa museum was forced to hold the exhibition."

Museum officials "balked" at the idea of Indian art in the museum. Dickason, who worked in the gallery at the time, organized the exhibition and "just had a ball" watching their discomfort.

"They felt that Indian art had no place in the museum, but I thought it was great. I even tried to invite an Elder to open it, but they would not allow it," she smiles.

Generally, Dickason feels that the Canadian public ignores Indian and Inuit peoples "except when it comes time to publicize Canada overseas. Then they use Indian and Inuit art because it is easily recognizable as Canadian."

Dickason is now working on a book on Indian natural foods and says Indian diets were much more varied than is commonly believed.

"They knew all the plants, herbs and berries and I feel had a much more varied diet than they do today."

And, if writing a book, fighting a precedent-setting law case and teaching at university is not enough, Dickason has just been appointed to the advisory board of the national museums. She will be working on the grants committee for museum assistance.

Meanwhile, in her crowded campus office, Dickason says she has to get back to work as she heaves a huge stack of paperork onto her desk. "One of these days I'll get around to cleaning this paperwork up," she smiles, then sighs as the telephone rings.