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Maria Campbell (born April 26, 1939 near Park Valley,
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
) is a
Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...
author, playwright, broadcaster, filmmaker, and Elder. Campbell is a fluent speaker of four languages:
Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...
,
Michif Michif (also Mitchif, Mechif, Michif-Cree, Métif, Métchif, French Cree) is one of the languages of the Métis people of Canada and the United States, who are the descendants of First Nations (mainly Cree, Nakota, and Ojibwe) and fur trade wo ...
, Western Ojibwa, and English. Four of her published works have been published in eight countries and translated into four other languages (
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, Chinese, French,
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
). Campbell has had great influence in her community as she is very politically involved in activism and social movements. Campbell is well known for being the author of ''Halfbreed'', a memoir describing her own experiences as a Métis woman in society and the difficulties she has faced, which are commonly faced by many other women both within and outside of her community.


Background

Campbell is the oldest of eight children, and had to drop out of school to care for her siblings when her mother died. She moved to Vancouver at age fifteen, but returned to Saskatchewan in her twenties and became an organizer in her community. In 1969 she published ''Many Laws,'' a handbook that explained the issues faced by Indigenous people who move into cities. Campbell remembers early stages of her life in her community when her and her siblings learned how to hunt and trap, dance, play the
fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...
, and learned the use for roots, herbs and barks. In Campbell's settlement, her family consisted of groups titled "The Isbisters", "Campbells", and "Vandals". Campbell's family was a mix of
Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
, French, Cree, English and Irish. Campbell recalls her experiences at school in Spring River. Her experiences demonstrate the racism that occurred within her community. Those who were white and those who were Métis were divided, and many Métis children were bullied by white children. Campbell had negative attitudes towards school, resulting in feelings of resentment towards her community and family. Campbell's father, who was a hunter and trapper, became an alcoholic and her mother died around this time during childbirth, leaving Campbell and her siblings on their own. At the age of fifteen, Campbell married a man named Darrel, with the hope that it would allow her to remain with her siblings and be able to provide for them. However, Darrel was abusive towards Campbell and had her siblings taken away. Campbell moved to Vancouver with Darrell, expecting her life to improve however, claims the poverty she witnessed in Vancouver was far worse than anything she had seen in her community in her early life. Darrel abandoned Campbell, and never returned. This left her with no money and no occupation in Vancouver. This forced Campbell into sex work, which seemed like her only option to make a living. In this time, she had to send her daughter to a convent, as she was unable to support her on her own. The difficulties which Campbell had experienced drove her to develop an addiction to drugs and alcohol. Campbell claims that she felt rejected by the city of Vancouver, as she felt they were prejudiced towards her due to being a Métis woman. According to Campbell, survival sex work was her most viable option at this point in her life, a difficulty also forced upon many other Indigenous women. Her involvement in sex work resulted from isolation, exclusion and poverty, due to systemic racism. In ''Halfbreed'', violence, racism and the sex trade are described as expressions of ongoing colonial violence, especially in the lives of Metis women. Campbell was absent from her community for seventeen years. Upon returning to her community in Saskatchewan, Campbell claims that it was nothing like she had remembered it. Campbell claims she saw much more poverty and abuse in her community than she recalls from her childhood years spent there. Campbell eventually recovered from her drug and alcohol addiction and was reunited with her children. After beginning to attend
Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
meetings, Campbell became much more involved in activism. Being heavily involved in political activism provided Campbell with a connection to her community, which she felt that she had been previously disconnected with. Campbell has struggled with a variety of experiences faced by many other Métis women today, including drug and alcohol addictions, resorting to sex work, depression and attempted suicide. Despite these negative experiences Campbell has dealt with, they are also shared experiences. Many other members of her community share similar experiences.


''Halfbreed'' (1973)

Campbell's first book was the memoir '' Halfbreed'' (1973), which deals with her experience as a Métis woman in Canada, and the sense of identity that is generated by being neither wholly Indigenous nor Anglo. ''Halfbreed'' is an autobiographical work discussing various stages of Maria Campbell's life, including her early life in rural Saskatchewan, followed by her life as a sex worker in Vancouver. It discusses her later life and the challenges she faced associated with being a single mother, as well as her role in the Indigenous rights movement which occurred in Calgary. In Campbell's ''Halfbreed'', the first chapters focus on the early stages of her life, where her sense of identity was created from her community near Spring River, Saskatchewan. Campbell's community had a prominent role in the formation of her identity. Based on the progression of her writing, Campbell became increasingly isolated as her community split apart. ''Halfbreed'' discusses the long-standing issue of the urban struggles faced by many Indigenous women. The work criticizes political systems on the basis that they are both corrupt and prejudiced towards females in society. the text highlights the issues of systemic racism and colonial violence, as well as the effects that sex work has on the women involved in it. The text focuses on Campbell's sense of collective Métis identity, emphasizing community belonging and common Métis experiences. Campbell was born and raised in a Métis community however, uses the term "halfbreed" over Métis due to ongoing debates about the precise definition of the latter, and makes a distinction between the identities "Indian" and "halfbreed." ''Halfbreed'' is considered to be a seminal work of Indigenous literature in Canada and has been the subject of much scholarly work, sparking academic debates about pan-Indigeneity, Métis identity, Indigenous status, and the contemporary Indigenous experience in Canada. It recounts the difficulties Campbell faced in her search for self-discovery, including poverty, substance abuse, sexual abuse, and sex work. ''Halfbreed'' continues to be taught in schools across Canada, and inspires generations of Indigenous women and men. The original manuscript of ''Halfbreed'' was two thousand pages however, discussion with editors resulted in the reduction of the text to two hundred pages. Campbell had originally included more focus on the dark stages of her life including her time as a sex worker struggling with addictions. It was requested by editors that she include more focus on her early life in order to reduce the appearance of negative aspects of her life. Upon publications, ''Halfbreed'' received criticism and rejections on the basis that it lacked authenticity and accuracy. In May 2018, researchers from
Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...
(BC, Canada) published an article detailing the discovery of two missing pages from the original ''Halfbreed'' manuscript. These pages, discovered in the McClelland and Stewart fonds at McMaster University, reveal how Campbell was raped at the age of 14 by members of the RCMP, and how she was prevented from including these pages in her published autobiography by publishers McClelland and Stewart. A new, fully restored edition of ''Halfbreed'' was published by McClelland and Stewart in November 2019 with the two missing pages included. This updated edition includes a new introduction by Métis scholar Kim Anderson, and an afterword by Campbell. Maria Campbell's ''Halfbreed'' consists of anecdotes with humorous expressions. Stories like these, with a humorous effect are important in the upbringing of Métis children, as they are often used in storytelling practices. The humour used in her work counteracts Campbell's negative life experiences, and is seen as an expression of survival. The humorous effect in ''Halfbreed'' removes dark aspects describing the struggle faced by many Indigenous populations and reduces perceptions of a continued struggle. Campbell's text is often received as a story of Indigenous oppression experienced in Canada.


Other works

Campbell is also the author of three children's books: ''People of the Buffalo'' (1975), ''Little Badger and the Fire Spirit'' (1977), and ''Riel's People'' (1978). All three are meant to teach Métis spirituality and heritage to Métis children. She has also translated stories in ''The Road Allowance People'' to Cree and Michif. Campbell chose to translate her work into what she describes as "Village English", as she felt that this was more representative of her experiences and community, then using standard English. Her short-story, "Blankets of Shame" is included in the anthology of Native American Women's writing and art, '' #NotYourPrincess'' (Annick Press, 2017). Campbell has also been featured on the
CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
talk show ''Our Native Land''.


Plays

Campbell's first professionally produced play, ''Flight'', was the first all Aboriginal theatre production in modern Canada. Weaving modern dance, storytelling and drama together with traditional Aboriginal art practises, this early work set a stylistic tone that her most recent productions continue to explore. It won the Dora Mavor Moore Award at Toronto's Theatre Passe Muraille in 1986 (where it debuted) and the Best Canadian Production at the Quinzanne International Festival in Quebec City. Two of her plays have toured extensively within Canada and abroad to Scotland,
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
and Italy. From 1985 to 1997 Ms. Campbell owned and operated a production company, Gabriel Productions. She has written and/or directed films by the
National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...
(NFB) and
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
(CBC), including ''My Partners My People'', which aired on CTV for 3 years. She is coordinator and member of ''Sage Ensemble'', a community theatre group for Aboriginal elders, and is actively associated with the Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre (Formerly ''Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company'') in
Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
.


Political career and education

In addition to her work in the arts, Campbell is a volunteer, activist and advocate for Aboriginal rights and the rights of women. She was a founder of the first Women's
halfway house A halfway house is a type of prison or institute intended to teach (or reteach) the necessary skills for people to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves. Halfway houses are typically either state sponsored for those ...
and the first Women and Children's Emergency Crisis Centre in
Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
. She has worked with Aboriginal youths in
community theatre Community theatre refers to any Theatre, theatrical performance made in relation to particular Community, communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community. It may refer to a production that is made entirely by a communit ...
; set up food and housing co-ops; facilitated women's circles; advocated for the hiring and recognition of Native people in the arts, and mentored many indigenous artists working in all forms of the arts. Campbell sits as an Elder on the ''Saskatchewan Aboriginal Justice Commission'', and is a member of the ''Grandmothers for Justice Society''. Academically, she has focused on teaching Métis history and Methods in Oral Tradition Research. She has worked as a researcher, meeting with elders to gather and record oral historical evidence of many aspects of aboriginal traditional knowledge, including medical and dietary as well as spiritual, social, and general cultural practices. She has completed the course work for an M.A. in Native Studies at the University of Saskatchewan (though it has not been awarded) and has received honorary degrees from the University of Regina, York University, and Athabasca University. Campbell has become the leader of many Métis social movements and has become very active in the political community. Due to her moving to the city of Vancouver, and the issues she faced there, Campbell felt as though she became disconnected from her community in Saskatchewan. Involvement in activism and politics has allowed Campbell to reconnect with her childhood community.


Selected works


Books and plays

*''Keetsahnak / Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters'' (co-editor) (2018) *''
Stories of the Road Allowance People ''Stories of the Road Allowance People'' is a 1995 book by Maria Campbell. The book captures the stories of Métis elders, and is a translation from Michif. Publication and synopsis ''Stories of the Road Allowance People'' was written by Mét ...
'' (1995) *''The Book of Jessica'' (co-writer) (1989) *''Achimoona'' (editor) (1985) *''Little Badger and the Fire Spirit'' (1977) *''Riel's People'' (1976) *''People of the Buffalo'' (1975) *''Halfbreed'' (1973)


Film and video

* Wapos Bay she does the Cree voice for Kohkum in "The Hardest Lesson" in 2009, which debuted 14 June 2010 on APTN *''Journey to Healing'' (Writer/Director) (1995) *''La Beau Sha Sho'' (Writer/Director) (1994) *''Joseph's Justice'' (Writer/Director) (1994) *''A Centre for Buffalo Narrows'' (Writer/Director) (1987) *''My Partners My People'' (Co-Producer ) (1987) *''Cumberland House'' (Writer/Director) (1986) *''Road to Batoche'' (Writer/Director) (1985) *''Sharing and Education'' (Writer/Director) (1985) *''Red Dress'' (Writer) (1977) *''Edmonton's Unwanted Women'' (Writer/Director) (1968)


Radio

*''Kiskamimsoo'' (Writer/Interviewer) (1973–1974) *''Tea with Maria'' (Writer/Interviewer) (1973–1975) *''Batoche 85'' (Writer/Interviewer) (1985)


Writing about Campbell

*Armstrong, Jolene, Ed. ''Maria Campbell: Essays On Her Works''. Toronto: Guernica, 2012. *Barkwell, Lawrence J. "Maria Campbell" in ''Women of the Métis Nation''. Winnipeg: Louis Riel Institute, 2010.


Honours


Awards

*Lieutenant Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Saskatchewan Arts Awards (2021) *'' Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship (2012) *Officer of the
Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...
(2008) *''Distinguished Canadian Award'' (2006) *'' Saskatchewan Order of Merit'' (2006) *'' Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize'' (2004) *''Saskatchewan Theatre Hall of Fame'' (2000) *''Chief Crowfoot Award'', Department of Native Studies, University of Calgary (1996) *'' National Aboriginal Achievement Award'' (1995) *''Golden Wheel Award'', Rotary Club, Saskatchewan (1994) *''Saskatchewan Achievement Award'', Government of Saskatchewan (1994) *''Gabriel Dumont Medal of Merit'',
Gabriel Dumont Institute The Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI), formally the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research Inc., is a non-profit corporation serving the educational and cultural needs of the Saskatchewan Métis and Non-Status Indian commu ...
(1992) *''Chalmers Award for Best New Play'' (1986) *''Dora Mavor Award'' (1986) *'' Order of the Sash'', Métis Nation of Saskatchewan (1985) *''National Hero'', Native Council of Canada (1979) *''Vanier Award'', Vanier Institute (1979) *''Honorary Chief'', Black Lake First Nations (1978).


Honorary Doctorate Degrees

*
University of Regina The University of Regina is a public university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchewan as a j ...
(1985) *
York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...
(1992) *
Athabasca University Athabasca University (AU) is a Canadian public university that primarily operates through online distance education. Founded in 1970, it is one of four comprehensive academic and research universities in Alberta, and was the first Canadian ...
(2000) *
Ryerson University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District in downtown Toronto, although i ...
(2018) *
University of Winnipeg The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg, UW, or U of W) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It offers undergraduate programs in art, business, economics, education, science and applied health as well as graduate progra ...
(2018)


Academic career

*Assistant Professor at the
University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...
(current; cross-appointed in the departments of English, Drama and Native Studies, and as a Special Scholar under the Dean of Arts and Science) *Stanley Knowles Distinguished Visiting Professorship,
Brandon University Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrolment of approximately 3,375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, ...
(2000–01) *Sessional Instructor, Saskatchewan Federated Indian College (since 1998) *Aboriginal Scholar, University of Saskatchewan (1995) *Lecturer, University of Saskatchewan (1991–1997)


Writer-In-Residence

*
University of Winnipeg The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg, UW, or U of W) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It offers undergraduate programs in art, business, economics, education, science and applied health as well as graduate progra ...
(2008–09) *
University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...
(1998–99). * Whitehorse Public Library (1994–95) * Prince Albert Public Library (1985–86) * Persephone Theatre (1983–84) *
Regina Public Library The Regina Public Library is the citywide public library system of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The Regina Public Library is established under the provisions of ''The Public Libraries Act'', 1996. The general management, regulation, and control ...
(1980–81) *
University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...
(1979–80)


References


External links


Maria Campbell entry in the Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada



"I write this for all of you" Maria Campbell article at canlit.ca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Maria 1939 births Living people Canadian Métis women 20th-century Canadian novelists Métis filmmakers Métis writers Officers of the Order of Canada Members of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit Canadian women novelists 20th-century Canadian memoirists Canadian women short story writers Canadian women memoirists 20th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian short story writers Indspire Awards Novelists from Saskatchewan