Seeing and hearing an author read their book(s) is always a treat. But there is something even better: meeting them in person. I had the honor and privilege to spend an hour with author Beatrice Mosionier during the last day of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) event in Winnipeg.
Mosionier speaks proudly of “In Search of April Raintree,” her first book. Published in 1983, it was so successful that it was revised for use in high schools. “April Raintree” came the following year. Schools started to include it in their curriculum, hence helping many children understand the lives of Aboriginal people.
“I thought that ‘April Raintree’ would be the only book,” she says. “Then I started another one because it was expected of me, and some stories came.” “Spirit of the White Bison” was published in 1985. “I've revised 'In the Shadow of Evil,' a psychological thriller, and it is due to be released in November 2010. I like such books but didn’t think I could write one.” Mosionier has also published children literature.
Her two novels focus on the foster care system: “Nothing has been done for those children,” she says. There have been accounts of sexual and physical abuse; self-esteem is the major problem when the youth grows up: “I heard of horrible stories from kids in foster care. It is very similar to what happened in residential schools.” According to her, the written word has the power to “bring forward the truth. It helps to imagine what it was like to be there and opens up discussions.”
Mosionier draws from her own feelings and experiences to write her stories. “Readers have very good instincts. They can spot honesty,” she says. “Instincts are underrated because when we were kids, they were connected to our spiritual ancestors.” Which was absurd to the white population who saw the intellect as supreme.
When speaking of how her work has been received over the years, she mentions that she sees no real difference between North America and Europe. “I went to Germany and toured four universities. My experience there was similar to my experience here. People have been very supportive. I've been very lucky.”
Mosionier’s mother was sent to residential school. Mosionier was put in foster homes at the age of three. As a result, mother and daughter did not really know each other. This is one of the topics of her latest book, titled “Come Walk with Me, a Memoir.” “I wrote it in part for my parents. It was important to me,” she says. “I wanted to speak on behalf of Aboriginal women like me who experience the effects of the residential school system and the child welfare system. I wanted to share what I experienced and how I dealt with it.” She lived in Toronto for many years. While there, she never mentioned to anybody that she had been a foster-care child: "I think I shared the shame that former IRS students have, many who are speaking about their experiences at this event [Truth and Reconciliation Commission Event] for the first time. For me, the shame was in what I did experience plus admitting I had been victimized." She relocated to Winnipeg in 2004.
Of the TRC gathering, Mosionier reveals that she had first doubted the effectiveness of such an event, especially since she doubted the sincerity of the official apology from this Federal Government in 2008. Over time, she realized that “something is better than nothing at all. When you have the opportunity, you have to take it and try to make it work.”
Speaking with this author is a real blessing. She is authentic and honest. The gentleness in her voice reveals a caring soul who uses her talents to make a positive impact on people. So, it is not surprising that her work continues to touch and move so many lives.
For more information on author Beatrice Mosionier, visit her official website.
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