Who? Where?
“Since 1993 Kegedonce Press has been crafting beautiful books that involve Indigenous Peoples at all levels of production. […]
Indigenous owned and operated, Kegedonce is based at Neyaashiinigmiing, on the traditional territory of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation.
Our owner and Managing Editor is Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm of the Chippewas of Nawash; our Publishing Manager is Renee K. Abram, of the Oneida Nation (Onyota’a:ka), Wolf clan.” (More.)
[On the colonizers’ map, this is Bruce County in the near-north of Ontario, unceded territory identified as the Cape Croker Reserve.]
First encounters? Probably one of Marilyn Dumont’s poetry books, discussed here on the occasion of rereading That Tongued Belonging (2007).
Other Kegedonce Reading:
Gregory Scofield’s Love Medicine and One Song (2007)
Cherie Dimaline’s A Gentle Habit (2015)
David Groulx’s Under God’s Pale Bones (2010) and Wabigoon River (2015)
And, notably, Richard van Camp’s Angel Wing Splash Pattern (2001) which I read after discovering Godless But Loyal to Heaven in 2013. All of van Camp’s short fiction is interconnected and I waded into the middle of it all, but the 20th Anniversary Edition reprint of AWSP would be the best place to begin, to “meet” many of the key recurring characters when the author was also just getting acquainted with them. (There are two comics in the back of the reissue as well.)
RECENT READ: Sharron Proulx-Turner’s Creole Métisse Of French Canada, me (2018)
Opening with an introduction by Aruna Srivastava, written in September 2017, readers learn that this volume is assembled from work that Sharron created while coping with “incredible pain and with great fortitude.”
Aruna shares memories of being in Sharron’s hospice room and refers to and quotes others who loved Sharron, including Richard van Camp, who says:
“Dance you sweet Aunt of Light. Dance and sing. You are free. You will always be honoured for your courage, your bravery, your grace. Mahsi cho for your life as ceremony and mahsi cho for reminding us all to have more fun, to make time for feasting and to host the ceremonies that the world needs and deserves.”
The bulk of the volume, however, is dedicated to Sharron Proulx-Turner’s own voice and story.
The short pieces read like vignettes but frequently open with an epigraph that creates a bridge from the author’s personal experiences and memories to the historical record. So her words open Sweeping the House: “my aunty used to say, when québec wakes up there’ll be six million more indians. simple logic or history lesson.” There’s also a short snippet which situates readers in the colonial pattern, first threading from the 17th century.
“all these words used for naming us métis—all from outsiders,” she continues. “Through the world there’s a habit of outside naming, outside framing. No different for us métis.”
The author’s voice is strong and clear—you never lose sight of her. At the same time, within the short pieces, there is a lot of history: ideas about blood quantum for instance, (in the context of the Daniels ruling in 2013), and about missing and murdered Indigenous people (beginning with reference to Helen Betty Osborne’s death on November 13, 1971).
When I began reading this, I thought it was going to be rewarding as part of the broader tapestry of Indigenous literature, but perhaps it wouldn’t be suitable for international readers: too personal, maybe. But, actually, it’s this personal side—naturally incorporating political observations—which recommends it.
This publisher is not as represented at our libraries, which is frustrating. But some of its authors are – ones who have published elsewhere as well. We do have Adler’s book, though (one copy down in the valley somewhere) and I just put a request in for it!
Awww, that’s too bad: it seems like their stuff should be available over there. Then again, I know a lot of their books are poetry, and I guess maybe that’s a niche readership? Do you see a lot of poetry going in and out at the library?
Some, but not a lot.
Another fascinating indie publisher, that I haven’t heard of, probably not surprisingly.
Such a long way across the pond in these instances, isn’t it!
Kegedonce has been publishing wonderful books for so long, so I’m glad you featured them! I worked with them when I was at Wordfest to bring Greg Scofield to Calgary, and he was absolutely amazing, although it’s been years since I read him. I also feel as though I need to read more Richard Van Camp, I’ve never entered this world of his though….and deeply embedded characters are always a bit daunting to jump on in the wrong spot.
You’ve met so many interesting authors via your Wordfest volunteering…now if only you could remember all of them! (Then again, I can’t remember the person you thought you’d forgotten meeting either!) Heheh
This twentieth-anniversary edition would be an ideal place to start; if it’s some consolation, at this stage he wasn’t anticipating that the characters would return, so you’ll be on equal footing, getting to know them from there.
It’s true, I’m very lucky to have been involved with that festival. I actually was an employee, for five years i worked there, but I’d like to volunteer if they go back to in-person events! Hopefully they continue to ask me to host events, it’s great fun 🙂
This sounds a really interesting publisher. I hadn’t heard of them at all. Thank you for highlighting them.
They’re not necessarily that well known in Canada either; I imagine it’s a very small staff trying to do a lot (with resources even more limited than some other small presses).
A really interesting sounding indie, and what a great idea for you to highlight these publishers during the months. Thank you!
Still a few more to come too! 🙂
Another publisher I’ve never come across before, so thanks again for the introduction. It sounds as if they have a very clear and worthwhile focus…
They’ve been around for long enough that there is a sizeable number of titles available via the public library in Toronto, so I’ve recently borrowed a rather unwieldly stack of poetry!
I’m enjoying your Indie publisher series. Canada seems to have an impressive number. It’s only in the past couple of years that I have bought more new books than second hand but I’m still almost completely unaware of publishers outside my home state (WA, pop. 3 mil)
Looking at my shelves I can see two that are Indigenous-run (and no doubt owned) Magabala from Broome in northern WA and, no just one, the others I thought had a different imprint are also Magabala. Many of the books in my Indigenous section are published by university presses. And Alexis Wright goes with perhaps Australia’s most independent independent Giramondo.
Thank you, I’m glad! There are so many that I actually resist doing this kind of thing because I know that I’m leaving out so many other interesting presses, but these just happen to be the ones I’ve read from very recently. When you found the Indigenous-owned press copies on your shelves, did you check online to see if they offer a ship-direct option for publishers?
You’ve introduced an interesting related point, that an indie publication that catches the eye of international presses might be more likely to be picked up by a mainstream press (as Wright’s work has been) than another indie. Although there are some indie links, too, so I know that’s not always the case either. (Fitzcarraldo in the UK for instance often appears under Graywolf’s umbrella in the US.)