Synopsis
First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists, activists, educators and writers, youth and elders come together to envision Indigenous futures in Canada and around the world.
Discussing everything from language renewal to sci-fi, this collection is a powerful and important expression of imagination rooted in social critique, cultural experience, traditional knowledge, activism and the multifaceted experiences of Indigenous people on Turtle Island.
In Me Tomorrow…Darrel J. McLeod, Cree author from Treaty-8 territory in Northern Alberta, blends the four elements of the Indigenous cosmovision with the four directions of the medicine wheel to create a prayer for the power, strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples.
Autumn Peltier, Anishinaabe water-rights activist, tells the origin story of her present and future career in advocacy—and how the nine months she spent in her mother’s womb formed her first water teaching. When the water breaks, like snow melting in the spring, new life comes.
Lee Maracle, acclaimed Stó:lō Nation author and educator, reflects on cultural revival—imagining a future a century from now in which Indigenous people are more united than ever before.
Other essayists include Cyndy and Makwa Baskin, Norma Dunning, Shalan Joudry, Shelley Knott-Fife, Tracie Léost, Stephanie Peltier, Romeo Saganash, Drew Hayden Taylor and Raymond Yakeleya.
For readers who want to imagine the future, and to cultivate a better one, Me Tomorrow is a journey through the visions generously offered by a diverse group of Indigenous thinkers.
About the Authors
Cyndy Baskin, PhD, is of Mi’kmaq and Celtic descent. Her clan is the fish and her spirit name translates as “The Woman Who Passes on the Teachings.” She is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at X (Ryerson) University in Toronto, Ontario. Her teaching, research and writing interests involve how Indigenous worldviews can inform education, spirituality and anti-violence approaches towards Indigenous women. Prior to joining Ryerson, Cyndy was a social worker for many years within Indigenous agencies and assisted several First Nations communities to set up culture-based programing, the latter of which she continues to do.
Read more about Cyndy Baskin
About the Authors
Anishnaabekwe, Shelley Knott-Fife, resides where she was raised, in Curve Lake First Nation. With the honour of being mom to son, D.J., and daughter, Jaime, she has a career spanning over 20 years in First Nation education. She has been Curve Lake First Nation’s Education Manager, a provincial school board consultant, an Indigenous Education Officer with the Ontario Ministry of Education and is currently an education specialist with Indigenous Services Canada. A PhD Candidate in Indigenous Studies (Trent) focusing research on Special Education, Shelley has a B.A. (Waterloo), a B.Ed. (Trent) and holds an M.Sc. in Special Education (Purdue).
Read more about Shelley Knott-Fife
About the Authors
Si’Yam Lee Maracle is the author of a number of critically acclaimed and award winning works, including Ravensong, Celia’s Song, My Home as I Remember, My Conversations with Canadians and Hope Matters. Maracle has received many awards and recognitions including the Blue Metropolis Festival First Peoples Prize and the Harbourfront Festival Prize. Recently, she was shortlisted for the Neustadt International Award. Maracle is a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and is an Officer of the Order of Canada. A member of the Sto:lo Nation, Maracle lives in Toronto and teaches at the University of Toronto.
Read more about Lee Maracle
About the Authors
Drew Hayden Taylor, an Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nations in Ontario, has worn many hats in his career, from performing stand-up comedy to being Artistic Director of Canada’s premiere Native theatre company, Native Earth Performing Arts. He has been an award-winning playwright (with over 100 productions of his work), a journalist/columnist (appearing regularly in several Canadian newspapers, magazines and news networks), short story writer, novelist, television scriptwriter and has worked on over 20 documentaries exploring the Native experience. The author of 34 books, he looks forward to finding out where his imagination will take him next.
Read more about Drew Hayden Taylor
