Students praised for stories of history and culture

An Awards Ceremony was held June 17th at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary to celebrate the winners of the 4th Annual Canadian Aboriginal Writing Challenge.
The short story contest is open to young Aboriginal youth in two age groups, 14 to 18 and 19 to 29. The short story must be based on a defining moment in Aboriginal history.
First prize in the two age groups is $2,000 and a trip to Calgary to attend the Awards Ceremony. This years first place stories are "Unmasked" by Nigel Grenier aged 14 from North Vancouver B.C. a member of the Gitwangak Aboriginal Community and the play "Notay Kiskintamowin (Wanting to Know)" by Shaneen Robinson of Winnipeg Manitoba from the Cree and Gitxsan Nations.
Robinson's play is a compelling narrative between two people that portrays the struggle for some persons to maintain knowledge of their culture.
Grenier is very proud of being able to tell his story as it is based on the legend of Waydetai, a story of oral tradition in the Gitksan Nation. He feels "very blessed with cultural wealth." Being involved in a dance group, his family is "living their culture."
"There is a difference between preserving your culture in a museum and actually living it" Nigel said and feels like he can, continue to share his peoples traditions.
The Awards Ceremony included the recognition and formal remarks of Canadian dignitaries: National Chief Phil Fontaine; Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Norman Kwong; Honorable Gene Zwozdesky, Alberta's Aboriginal Relations Minister and musician and actor Tom Jackson.
The writer's challenge is an initiative of the Dominion Institute, which was established in 1997 by a group of young professionals dedicated to raising the knowledge and appreciation of Canadian history and reversing the decline of our civic identity.
A jury of esteemed Aboriginal Leaders and celebrities in film, music and literature select the finalists and winners. Each year the institute receives hundreds of stories, essays and prose from young people across Canada.
Alison Faulkner, Acting Director of the Dominion Institute, is in awe by the "brave and sensitive way that these young people tackle a broad range of topics."
The contest allows youth to showcase their talent and to learn about and share their knowledge of a piece of Canadian history.
Stories by the ten finalists in each age category covered a range in topics from substance abuse, Residential School Syndrome, traditional stories mixed with a modern context and the struggle to find a cultural identity. Despite the strong portrayal of the struggle of the First Nations in Canada throughout history, Alison found that "the message is one of hope for future generations through reconnecting with their past."
Among the finalists is Ashley Kagige (which means "forever" in Ojibway) aged 18 from Scarborough Ontario, a member of the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve.
Her story titled " Stolen Identity" is told from the perspective of a child that was taken from their home and forced into a Residential School and the story leads to the adult life of the child.
The story is poignant, absorbing and heart breaking. Ashley has heard many of the stories of Elders in her community that attended schools and can see in her every day life the long lasting effects that these experiences have had on the First Nation community.
In the wake of the recent National Apology from the Government of Canada to the survivors of Residential Schools, Kagige feels that it took a long time coming but that it meant so much for the people it effects and it is helping to bring " awareness to people who do not know the struggle our people have to go through."
Raised attending Catholic schools, Kagige began teaching herself the Aboriginal history and cultural knowledge of her community that she was not being taught in her high school history classes.
She felt as though she was confronting stereotypes that she didn't know how to justify and is now able to speak up and share her knowledge with others.
"People would have a totally different outlook on Native people if they understood their role in Canadian history." Kagige took a writers course in which her teacher encouraged her to write about her people history and she began writing about the historical issue.
She feels that the children today are still dealing with some of the effects of their family history involving survivors of Residential schools and that kids are in fact still taken from their homes as a result of the Residential School Syndrome and that raising awareness is a major step forwards.
Kagige is very proud of her work and while studying to be a nurse she still plans to write and to share her knowledge.
Winners of second and third place in the 14 - 18 age group are Ashley Brown of Stephenville Crossing NL and Erica Lee from Saskatoon SK.
Winners of second and third in the 19-29 age group are Jason Matthews of Port Williams NS and Clifford Cardinal from Vancouver B.C.
Contest rules for 2009's contest and the stories of all twenty finalists is available online at www.our-story.ca.