Tomson Highway, an aboriginal novelist, playwright, and pianist spoke at Carleton about Canadian literature and music on Oct. 17.
“Today, we will talk about literature with a capital ‘L’,” Highway said with a chuckle.
Highway is the author of The Rez Sisters and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing.
“The Rez Sisters is one of my favorite plays ever,” fourth-year English and philosophy student Courtney Lindsay said.
“He is just laughing all the time. I loved him after studying about him in an English class.”
“He reminds me of why I want to write. Through storytelling, he tells people where he comes from and how he stayed connected to his homeland,” said Jocelyn Formsma, a law student at the University of Ottawa.
“I admire his struggle to keep his language, Cree, alive.”
Highway addressed a large audience with people of all ages.
It was a whirlwind trying to find space on campus that would accommodate all those that wanted to see Highway, including three classes of 40 students each, aboriginal cultural liaison officer Naomi Sarazin said via email.
“This is a fabulous way to bring Indigenous knowledge into the university,” Sarazin said.
The audience erupted in laughter as Highway made jokes at every opportunity he had.
“My problem is I laugh too much,” Highway said.
Highway said there is a large push for people from residential areas to write literature.
“These aboriginal stories became hits and were absorbed in the curriculum of schools and universities across the country,” Highway said.
As recently as 30 years ago there was not a single professional native writer who made a living from the craft, Highway said.
Highway also spoke about the connection between literature and music.
“Music reflects on literary form,” Highway said, who closed his eyes as he played the piano in the centre of the room.
He said the piece he played was a version of Ulysses, but instead about a Cree boy in Toronto.
“For Aboriginal students at Carleton, it is important to see their selves represented in the university, and having Aboriginal role models like Tomson to come and share his knowledge is critical to their learning and overall success,” Sarazin said.
Highway reiterated the importance of aboriginal literature to students and Canadians as a whole.
“Aboriginal literature has had an enormous impact in Canada. We were told as children that we’re a dying race and this literature is proving that we’re not. We’re here to change the country,” Highway said.
