One of the most frequently encountered differences between natives and non-natives is how we greet one another. When you meet a non-native for the first time, after learning one another’s names, you invariably get asked, “So, what do you do?” I’ve always felt uneasy about this question. They mean of course, “what kind of job…
Category: Culture
ninikamon
ninikamon, I sing. About thirteen years ago, I finally picked up a guitar and started to learn how to play. I can’t say that over a decade of playing has made me a particularly proficient guitarist though. At times I have spent up to five hours a day practising, and then in other periods of…
Our stories, our law.
I’m sitting in a hotel in Fort St. John, BC wondering what to do with myself now that my flight has been delayed. I’ve been sick for nearly two weeks now and I’m not exactly feeling up to seeing the sights…especially since there doesn’t seem to be any place here to buy seed beads! It’s…
manitow-sâkahikanihk ohci nîya
I haven’t been home in two years. It surprises me that this is the longest I have ever been away from home. Even when I was living in Inuvik, I flew down south at least twice a year, sometimes more. Moving to Quebec has required a lot of transition. During my second semester at McGill,…
The secret lives of Indians…
June is National Aboriginal History month here in Canada, and has been since 2009. I only found out this year. We’ve had National Aboriginal Day (June 21) for about 15 years now, but apparently we also have a whole month devoted to our culture and history. Huh. Who knew? Who knew indeed. Isn’t that the…