Shirley Cheechoo ( cr, ᔒᓕᒋᒍ born 1952) is a Canadian Cree actress, writer, producer, director, and visual artist, best known for her solo-voice or monodrama play '' Path With No Moccasins'', as well as her work with

De-Ba-Jeh-Mu-Jig The Debajehmujig Storytellers, also Debahehmyjig Theatre Group, or informally Debaj, is a First Nations theatre group and multi-arts organization based in the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island in Northern Ontario. Debaj is the l ...

theatre group. Her first break came in 1985 when she was cast on the CBC's first nations TV series ''

Spirit Bay ''Spirit Bay'' was an aboriginal family television show of 13 half-hour episodes that aired on CBC Television and TVOntario from 1982 to 1987. The show focuses on the lives of townsfolk on an Ojibwe reservation town near MacDiarmid, Ontario. Her ...

'', and later, in 1997, she found a role on the CBC's TV series ''

The Rez ''The Rez'' is a Canadian drama television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1996 to 1998. Bruce McDonald and Norman Jewison were executive producers of the series, which chronicled life in an Ojibway community. The series is based ...

''. She was named chancellor of

Brock University Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bea ...

in July 2015, the institution's first female and first aboriginal chancellor.

Biography

Shirley Cheechoo was born in 1952 in

Eastmain, Quebec Eastmain ( ; cr, ᐄᔅᒣᐃᓐ/Îsmein) is a Cree community located on east coast of James Bay at the mouth of the Eastmain River, Quebec, Canada. It is a small coastal Cree village with a population of 924 people in the 2021 Canadian Cens ...

, and grew up in

Moose Factory Moose Factory is a community in the Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Moose Factory Island, near the mouth of the Moose River, which is at the southern end of James Bay. It was the first English-speaking settlement in lands ...

and Hearst,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. Shirley spent her early life on traplines with her parents and brothers, but at the age of nine was sent to a residential school, Shingwauk Residential School, now known as Algoma University College. At this school Cheechoo, like many other residential school survivors, experienced violence and abuse and was told that "her parents would die if she ran away." After leaving school at fifteen, Cheechoo experienced problems with substance abuse, but eventually, she turned her life around and began to work in film and theatre to explore themes of healing and

survivance Survivance is a critical term in Native American studies. History Survivance was originally a legal term, but fell out of use in the 18th century. It was also borrowed from the French term 'suvivance' in other contexts. Usage It was first empl ...

post-trauma. Her experiences at a residential school and her road to healing are documented in her stage play 1991 ''Path with No Moccasins.'' Shirley attended art classes at the Manitou Arts Foundation during the summer of 1966.

The De-ba-jeh-mu-jig years

Shirley founded De-ba-jeh-mu-jig theatre, which developed out of the children's theatre. After starting the theatre company, partner Blake Debassige, a visual artist, served on the board of directors and as president of the board during the early years of

theatre group. During her time at Debaj, Shirley fulfilled the role of

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

, president of the board of directors, as well as fulfilling much of the administrative roles, actor, and playwright. Shirley is the first First Nations woman to "write, produce, direct, and act in a feature length film from Canada".

Career

Shirley first gained national attention with ''Path With No Moccasins''. Her directorial debut was with a short film called ''Silent Tears'', which won several film festival awards for Best Short Film and was "screened at the 1998Sundance Film Festival." Her first feature film was ''Backroads'', a journey into the harsh contemporary life of Cree women. The movie was financed and executive-produced by Offline Entertainment Group. Shirley realized that she could "ease a pain or raise an issue with her film work" and so dedicated herself to creating film by enrolling in writing classes, director's labs, acting workshops and film schools.Shirley Cheechoo

National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation Indspire, formerly known as the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF), is a national Indigenous registered charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and c ...

Much of her art is based on biographical elements. ''Path With No Moccasins'' gave Shirley the opportunity to "speak about her life and the struggle to retain her identity, and Cree heritage".Shirley Cheechoo
Art World of Sherway ''Silent Tears'' chronicles the events of a "harsh winter trip with her parents to a northern trap line when she was eight years old". In order to promote Aboriginal artists, Shirley and Blake Debassige co-own Kasheese Studios art gallery. She is also the president of Spoken Song film production company and founded the Weengushk Film Institute on Manitoulin Island that will train, develop and guide independent filmmakers. Through the Weengushk Film Institute, she also launched the annual Weengushk International Film Festival in 2018. Her artwork is inspired by Woodlands School, which is a concept given birth by Norval Morrisseau. Her art has been exhibited around the world, and her commissions include: *Christmas cards for UNICEF *Amnesty International *The Ontario Native Women's Association *The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto

Cultural work

She is a mentor to many in the Native arts community and one of Canada's most well-known and respected artists. She visits other communities and schools and holds workshops. On the topic of visiting schools to host acting and playwrighting workshops, Shirley has said

the kids that come into the theatre, into the drama workshops, are the kids that I pick. I feel that they need some kind of self-esteem, and drama does it. Anything in the arts gives these kids a lot of self-esteem ... the arts are really important for children and they're not taught in the schools

Shirley is concerned with Indigenous people's complacency with "small advancements and the slight changes that appear when it comes to equality and respect" and believes that "We must continue to fight in the most positive way to try and find a level playing field for Indigenous people to work, live, and create in the main". In February 2008, Shirley was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in the area of art by the

. She was also awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Award in 2013 to recognize her commitment to education. She also received the Anishinabek Nation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

Writings and appearances

Plays

*''Path With No Moccasins'' (1991) *''Tangled Sheets'' (1994) *''Your Dream Was Mine'' (2005)

Film

*''Shadows in Deep Water'' (?) - director *'' Utshimassits: Place of the Boss'' (1996) - narrator *''Silent Tears'' (1998) - director, writer *''Backroads'' (aka ''Bearwalker'') (2000) - director, writer *''Tracks in the Snow'' (2001) - productor, director *''Pikutiskaau (Mother Earth)'' (2003) - director *''In Shadow'' (2003) - director *'' Johnny Tootall'' (2005) - director, writer *''Moose River Crossing'' (2013) - director, writer

Media appearances

*''

'' (1984) *''Medicine River'' (1993) *''

'' (1996) *''Song of Hiawatha'' (1997) *''Silent Tears'' (1998) *'' Johnny Greyeyes'' (2000) *''Backroads'' (2000) *''Christmas in the Clouds'' (2001) *'' MVP'' - Mrs. Lemonde (2008) * Provided the illustrations for ''Tales the Elders Told'' by

Basil H. Johnston Basil H. Johnston (13 July 1929 – 8 September 2015) was a Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) and Canadian writer, storyteller, language teacher and scholar. Biography Johnston was born July 13, 1929 on the Parry Island Indian Reserve to Rufus and Mary (n ...

Awards

*Best Short Film - ''Silent Tears'' *Telefilm Canada/Television Northern Canada Award for Best Canadian Aboriginal Language Television Program - ''Silent Tears'' (1998) *Best Director. Reel World Film Festival (Toronto 2000) * Lifetime Achievement Award in the area of art (2008). Given by the

, now Indspire. *CTV Fellowship Award *Eagle Spirit Award *Independent Filmmaker of the Year (Arizona International Film Festival) (2002). *Best Film for ''Johnny Tootall'' at the 2005 American Indian Film Festival.

References

External links

Shirley Cheechoo Art CollectionRecipient of National Aboriginal Achievement AwardsFilm festival feature
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheechoo, Shriley First Nations dramatists and playwrights Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Cree people 1952 births Living people First Nations filmmakers Canadian women film directors Members of the Order of Canada People from Eeyou Istchee (territory) 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Canadian university and college chancellors First Nations women writers Woodlands style Indspire Awards Canadian Film Centre alumni 20th-century First Nations writers 21st-century First Nations writers Canadian artistic directors