“Writing is a process, a journey into memory and the soul.”
—Isabel Allende
“Writing is a process, a journey into memory and the soul.”
—Isabel Allende
I am fortunate to live, work, and play on land that is the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the New Credit, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe, and the Heron Wendat Peoples. Tkaronto, known as Toronto, translates to “Where the Trees Meet The Water,” or “The Gathering Place.” The land is now home to many diverse Indigenous Peoples and is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit and bound by Dish With One Spoon, a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas, and Haudenosaunee to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and all newcomers have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace and respect.
However, this spirit of peace and the terms of these treaties have not always been honoured—in fact, they have been broken by settlers throughout history and to this day, despite the deep care and stewardship that Indigenous people have consistently given to Turtle Island across millennia. On both treaty lands and unceded territories, the dark history of colonialism continues to leave Indigenous communities without adequate resources, access to traditional territories, support from the government, deserved sovereignty, freedom from racism and violence, and without meaningful reparations for the harm settlers have caused.
Part of this harm is the marginalization and erasure of Indigenous stories—even though they are an essential part of the literary canon. As a part of both my day job and my freelance work, I am committed to honouring and elevating Indigenous voices. I refer to Elements of Indigenous Style by Gregory Younging (Brush Education Inc., 2018) to guide my editing, and I strive to ensure that Indigenous writers receive editorial services that respect the longstanding independent traditions of Indigenous language and storytelling.