Aimée Craft Author Talk at Middle Grade Magic 2021
Summary
TLDRAuthor May Craft discusses her book 'Treaty Words for as Long as the River Flows' in an online chat hosted by Anik Press. Craft, an Anishinaabe Metis lawyer and professor, shares her experiences and the importance of treaties as agreements to live well together. She emphasizes the book's accessibility to all ages and its potential to inspire conversations about relationships with nature and indigenous laws. Craft also answers questions about the book's inspiration and her writing process, highlighting the significance of storytelling and the relational nature of indigenous laws.
Takeaways
- 📚 Amay Craft is the author of 'Treaty Words for As Long As the River Flows', a book published by Anik Press.
- 🌳 Amay is an Anishinaabe Metis lawyer and an associate professor at the University of Ottawa, specializing in Indigenous laws, treaties, and waters.
- 🎨 The book is beautifully written and accompanied by evocative illustrations that complement the storytelling.
- 🌟 The book is intended for young people but is suitable for readers of all ages, aiming to be a shared reading experience.
- 🔍 The central theme of the book revolves around treaties as agreements to share land and live well together, emphasizing relationships and collective well-being.
- 🌱 The author encourages readers to connect with nature and loved ones while reading, to reflect and understand the importance of treaty relationships.
- 👵 The storytelling style is influenced by Anishinaabe tradition, with a focus on oral storytelling and the spirit of words.
- 🌐 The author discusses the contrast between Western law, which is individualistic and conflict-oriented, and Indigenous law, which values relationships and collective well-being.
- 🌿 The book serves as a tool to make treaties relatable and understandable, aiming to breathe life into treaty relationships.
- 📖 The author's process involves telling stories multiple times to refine them, emphasizing the importance of sharing stories out loud for collective interpretation.
- 🏡 Practical suggestions for readers inspired by the book include building relationships, learning about local treaties, and contributing to the well-being of the community and environment.
Q & A
Who is May Craft and what is her background?
-May Craft is an Anishinaabe Metis lawyer from Treaty One territory in Manitoba, Canada. She is also an associate professor at the Faculty of Common Law at the University of Ottawa and a leading researcher on Indigenous laws, treaties, and waters.
What is the title of May Craft's book and when was it published?
-The title of May Craft's book is 'Treaty Words for As Long As the River Flows' and it was published by Anik Press on the day of the chat.
What is the intended audience for 'Treaty Words for As Long As the River Flows'?
-The book is primarily intended for young people, but it is also meant to be a book for everyone and is meant to be read together.
What is the significance of the book's title 'Treaty Words for As Long As the River Flows'?
-The title signifies the enduring nature of treaties, which are agreements to live together on the land for as long as the sun shines, the grass grows, and the rivers flow.
What is the central theme of the book 'Treaty Words for As Long As the River Flows'?
-The central theme of the book is the importance of treaties, relationships, and living well together on the land, as well as the interconnectedness of all things.
How does May Craft describe the process of writing 'Treaty Words for As Long As the River Flows'?
-May Craft describes her writing process as an oral storytelling tradition, telling the story many times to her nieces and nephews before getting it onto paper.
What does May Craft wish for young readers to take away from her book?
-May Craft wishes for young readers to understand that treaties are agreements to share the land and live well together, and to recognize their own treaty obligations.
How does May Craft suggest that readers engage with the book?
-May Craft suggests that readers engage with the book by reading it out loud and sharing it with others, as the collective interpretation and spirit of the story are as important as the words on the page.
What is the connection between the book and May Craft's academic work?
-The book connects to May Craft's academic work by making treaties relatable and understandable to people, emphasizing that they are not just words on pages but agreements to work together and live together.
How does May Craft describe the difference between Western law and Anishinaabe law?
-Western law is centered on individuals and private interests, often involving conflict, while Anishinaabe law is relational, considering all relationships and striving towards collective well-being.
What practical steps does May Craft suggest for families inspired by the book to live well together?
-May Craft suggests learning about the treaty of your area, understanding the traditional names of the territory, and making inquiries about how to contribute to the treaty relationship.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to the Author and Book
The video begins with Stephanie from Anik Press welcoming viewers to a 4:30 p.m. chat, introducing May Craft, the author of 'Treaty Words for as Long as the River Flows,' published by Anik Press. May Craft is an Anishinaabe Metis lawyer, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa, and a leading researcher on Indigenous laws, treaties, and waters. Stephanie praises the book's writing and illustrations, expressing excitement for the discussion. May Craft thanks Stephanie and the audience for joining, sharing her wish to be together in person, and setting the scene by describing her current location in Treaty One territory, Manitoba, Canada. She emphasizes the importance of reading the book in a reflective space connected to nature and loved ones. May Craft introduces the book's purpose, targeting young people but suitable for all ages, aiming to spark conversations about treaties and relationships with the land and each other.
🌿 Excerpt Reading and Discussion on Treaties
May Craft reads an excerpt from her book, describing a scene where a grandfather, Michomas, and a young girl sit by a river, listening to nature's sounds and sharing stories. Michomas teaches the girl to hear and understand the environment around them, reflecting on their connection to the land and each other. The story then transitions to Michomas explaining the concept of treaties as agreements to live and work together, like the original treaty between the Earth and the Sky. May Craft shares her emotional connection to the story, reminiscing about her own experiences and the importance of passing these stories and teachings to younger generations. The conversation then opens up to questions from the audience, with Stephanie prompting viewers to use the 'raise hand' function to participate.
🌱 The Purpose and Impact of Storytelling
The discussion continues with questions about the book's impact on younger readers. May Craft expresses her desire for readers to understand treaties as agreements to share the land and live well together, emphasizing the importance of relationships and collective well-being. She shares her unique writing process, which involves telling stories repeatedly to her nieces and nephews, allowing the story to evolve and resonate. May Craft also discusses how her book is a personal contribution to understanding treaty relationships and the need to breathe life into these agreements. The conversation highlights the significance of oral storytelling and the spirit of words in Indigenous culture.
🌟 Personal Experiences and the Concept of Renewal
May Craft shares that much of the story is drawn from her personal experiences, emphasizing the reality of treaty stories and their relevance to modern life. She discusses an eye-opening moment of understanding the concept of renewal through observing nature's collaboration. The conversation explores the differences between Indigenous views and settler laws, highlighting the relational nature of Indigenous law versus the individualistic and conflict-driven nature of Western law. May Craft explains the interconnectedness of all things in Indigenous perspectives and how this理念 contrasts with the Western focus on individual rights and obligations.
🌱 Practical Steps for Living Well Together
The final part of the discussion focuses on how to apply the teachings of the book to daily life. May Craft suggests building relationships, educating oneself about the treaties of one's area, and understanding the traditional names and contributions of the Indigenous nations. She mentions her work on a project exploring the concept of 'land back,' or returning lands and territories, as part of the conversation on living well together. May Craft encourages gaining knowledge and building relationships as the first steps towards change. The chat concludes with thanks from Stephanie and May Craft, and an invitation for viewers to pick up the book and engage with its teachings.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Treaty
💡Anishinaabe
💡Métis
💡Indigenous Laws
💡Treaty One Territory
💡Renewal
💡Relationality
💡Storytelling
💡Respect
💡Reciprocity
💡Land Back
Highlights
Introduction of Amay as an Anishinaabe Metis lawyer and a leading researcher on indigenous laws, treaties, and waters.
Publication of Amay's book 'Treaty Words for as Long as the River Flows' by Anik Press.
Amay's desire to share her book in person and the significance of her home territory in Manitoba, Canada.
The book's intention to be read in a natural environment and its relevance to all ages.
Amay's reading of an excerpt from the book, highlighting the beauty of silence and the sounds of nature.
The story's central theme of connection to the land and the importance of treaties.
Amay's emotional connection to the story and her experiences on the riverbank.
The question from the chat about what young readers should take away from the story.
Amay's hope that readers understand treaties as agreements to share land and live well together.
The personal and academic significance of the book to Amay.
Amay's unique writing process and the importance of storytelling in her tradition.
The personal experiences and stories that influenced the book's content.
The contrast between indigenous views and settler laws in terms of relationships and collective well-being.
Amay's explanation of how indigenous laws differ fundamentally from Western law.
The importance of understanding the spirit and intent of treaties.
Practical suggestions for families to engage with treaties and live well together.
The closing thoughts on the book's impact and the importance of relationships with nature and each other.
Transcripts
thank you so much for joining us today
uh welcome to
our our 4 30 p.m chat my name is
stephanie from anik press and today we
are so excited
to have a may craft with us the author
of treaty words
for as long as the river flows which is
published today by anik press
um amay is an anishinaabe metis lawyer
from treaty one territory
in manitoba canada and she is
an associate professor at the faculty of
common law at the university of ottawa
and a leading researcher on indigenous
laws
treaties and waters ame thank you so
much for joining us today we're so
excited to have you
it's my pleasure to be here absolutely
um
this is a just a beautiful book and the
your writing is so evocative and luke's
photos and and
illustrations rather really lend a lot
to your words so i'm hoping today you
can
you can share some of your writing with
us and then um
after we do a bit of reading we'll open
it up to the chat if there's any
questions from
from our group here sure um
thanks stephanie i i just want to start
by saying
um how much i wish we could be sitting
in person
um and for those of you who have picked
up the book i really wish we could be
sitting by a fire together
it's a really nice day where i'm talk
well
nice it's that's all relative uh it's
gray but it's warm
where i'm uh speaking to you from and
it's um it's my home territory so i'm in
treaty one territory in manitoba
um i'm not sitting by a river by a fire
because the wi-fi would be
probably a significant issue which is
our our current day modern problem that
many of us are experiencing
but i did want to say that i hope that
each of you will have an opportunity to
sit and read this
in a space where you can take some time
to reflect and be in connection
with your natural environment and and
hopefully that that includes being in
connection with
some of the people that you love
including some of the young people in
your life
and i just also wanted to preface this
by saying
the book is uh you know has a target
audience of of young people but um
it's really a book for everyone and it's
in my view meant to be read
together so i think it's a perfect
bedtime storybook
um it's a perfect morning coffee hanging
out in pajamas saturday morning book
um and i think that it's one that will
spur some conversations around
uh the kitchen table and uh around
um you know sitting around uh either by
a fire
or um you know in those spaces that that
each of us finds comfortable so
if you can kind of maybe close your eyes
i can't see you
but transport yourself into that that
cozy space
um and i'll read a brief excerpt from
sort of the center
of the book and then a piece from a
little bit further on in the book
so on these and other visits they sat
looking across and at the river
sometimes talking to each other but more
often sitting in silence
listening the beauty of their silence
was in everything
that they heard around them michomas
who's the grandfather
taught her how to hear challenging her
to understand each sound
from the most pronounced bird calls to
the subtle sound
of tiny insects crawling around in the
grass
one particular spring which followed a
winter with
more snow and cold weather than in
previous years
she went to visit him he'd come back
from his spring trip
but much of the land still rested under
thin
interspersed pockets of snow
they sat on the tall bank of the river
facing east
looking towards the other distant bank
he recounted tales of snaring rabbits
finding old camps building fires
drinking tea
hearing a baby moose being born and
eating fresh fish
from the small spring fed lakes
then they sat and let the silent speak
they were surrounded by tall grass
weighing in the wind
the midday sun warming their faces
the trees were making their spring
sounds popping and cracking
the snow blowing by and wishing against
her skin
and spring birds making their small and
distinctive calls
the geese honked as they flew over
telling her and mishomas
that they had seen them the geese wanted
them to know that they'd made it home
they heard all of these sounds above
that of the ice breaking
at once subtle deafening calming
and distracting every sound was
outside and inside of them
they knew that all this would be
happening with or without them
and that they were such a small part of
creation
although the sun was warm michoma set
out to build a small fire
that was usually a sign that someone
would be by to visit
or that they might be sitting out for
another long while
the fire was to keep them warm and make
tea
but mostly it was a place to hold their
gaze as they told stories
jokes or as they sat in silence
so this is a bit later in their day
michomas paused
to throw some tea bags in the boiling
water
and this is what he said the first
treaty that was made between the earth
and the sky
it was an agreement to work together we
build
all our treaties on that original treaty
and that's what we said to the crown
when they came to discuss how we would
like to live together
on this land for as long as the sun
shines the grass grows
and the rivers flow like the original
treaty
the young girl and her michomas then sat
in silence
she listened to the flow of the river
and the wind moving around in the grass
and she felt her face warm with the glow
of the fire
and the spring sun
so that's what i wanted to share with
you today in terms
of an excerpt from the book actually i
feel
a little bit emotional reading parts of
it because i feel transposed back to a
time when
i got to do this um and i actually
missed those opportunities
to sit on the riverbank and and just
listen in silence
thank you for for the opportunity to
share this with you
thank you very much for sharing with us
today may and it's
it's true it brings me back to my
childhood as well and
my kokum always told us such beautiful
stories my kokum is my grandmother
and it was so important to learn from
her and to carry those stories with us
and it's it's
it's an honor to hear a story from
somebody else so thank you
very much um we'd like to open
to any questions from the chat um i have
a few questions of my own that i'd like
to ask
so if nobody has anything burning right
now
i can i can pop up a couple of questions
myself or if you'd like to be unmuted
please let us know and we can unmute you
and you can ask
in may directly
i wonder if people are familiar with the
raise hand function
which is in the reactions it used to be
in a different place in zoom and now
it's in reactions
so you can send me smiley faces you can
put smiley faces up on your profile but
you can also
use a function in there that's called
raised hand
and then we can unmute you can you can
ask your question
i now teach fully online so these are
tools that i use every day
myself actually um we talked about how
important it is for stories and
histories
oh i'm sorry we've got a question in the
chat
from adobe treaty words is beautifully
written
what would you like younger readers to
take away from the story
thank you um i would love for young
readers
to take away a few things the first um
is really about how
the central character um is them
also that they are big and they're small
and they're connected to everything and
that they have
treaty obligations and so you know
in in order to see themselves um
and and be in that that space i think um
each each person needs to kind of
connect with
with that story and to take from that
their
their treaty obligations so uh in terms
of a
substantive takeaway i think that
if young people are reading this and
understanding that treaties are
agreements to share
in land and to live well together then
the book will have done
its work and um yeah i'm primarily an
academic i didn't ever think in my life
that i would write
a children's book um and i'm really
grateful
to mary beth who suggested that it it
the story become a children's book
because the main
purpose in writing this was to
make treaties have
real-life sense to people they're not
words on pages
they're agreements to work together to
live together
they're about relationships and so
if you can understand that you know
everything
before us was relational in in
relationship that all of our natural
environment is in relationship
then we can see how we need to try and
do better in terms of
understanding those treaty relationships
that were built by our ancestors and and
give them
uh some effect today and so my adult
version of
something like this book that talks
about anishinabe understandings of
treaty
is called breathing life into the stone
for a treaty and i
i i love that title it came in a
ceremony
and it i think that's the most important
thing
that we need to do collectively is to
breathe life
into our treaty relationships and this
book is
is one small contribution towards that
thank you that was it was you hit it
perfectly on my head so thank you so
much for and thank you adobe for your
question
um are there any more questions that
anyone wants to pop into the chat or
if you'd like us to unmute you you can
absolutely ask your question directly
um great thank you um
your writing is so beautiful and
evocative like i've already mentioned
and luke's imagery just
further brings it to life and i think
the idea of
reading this story out in in
nature with by the fire by the river is
so
is so inspiring um when you were writing
this book did you have that in mind
did you find that the writing process
energized you in any way
i have a very odd writing process and
for those of you who are artists of any
form you'll know that
everybody has a different way of doing
things so i like to tell the story many
many times
my nieces and nephews yeah they'll hear
the same story over and over again
um so i like to tell the story and and i
think that that's
part of my my upbringing and my
tradition is to
storytell and my writing
as you've seen is is trying to
communicate in a very accessible and
authentic way
what it is that we would say and you can
hear it in um
you know the michonne's words that those
are really
how he would speak and how he would
share the story of treaty
um and i think that that part is
important and then
trying to then get an oral story onto
paper kind of becomes this
this funny process i don't know if i've
really
mastered it and i really um appreciate
those who worked on editing
the story to make it um make it clear
but to me you know the way this is
written is the way that it sounds in my
head and the way that it
came out and i think that um
that's really important because words
have a spirit and
stories have a spirit and that's part of
why i hope
that people read the book out loud
because it really
is meant to be one of those types of
of stories where you share it with other
people and what you then
are able to bring to it collectively is
just as important as the words on paper
absolutely thank you so much so we've
got
a few questions in the chat here now
how much of the story is pulled from
your personal experience
uh a lot of it um and that was part of
the question
about you know whether this is actually
fiction
um you know the story of treaty is real
um
and so in that you know that's um
that i think is an important part of the
history
of uh canada and other different treaty
territories it's also part of our modern
lived experience and something that i
think we need to
as i said earlier do better on um on
you know living that relationship
but a lot of it is based on you know
conversations that i've had
over time and experiences that i've had
laying by the river and listening to the
ice breakup
and seeing that collaboration between
the sun
and the water and being able to lend an
interpretive lens to that and saying
wow this is what the concept of renewal
actually is modeled on was
an eye-opening experience for me because
i think as young people you're either
searching for information
or pushing information away and this is
a description of a moment in time where
i had taken enough in that i was able to
come up with my own interpretation of
what was happening
and apply the knowledge that had been
shared with me
in a way that allowed me to kind of dive
deeper into my own understanding
and and i love those moments right of
remembering
things that you've been taught or told
and
applying it in your own way and if young
people
are able to see that in this character
that she's not just a listener
she's a thinker and she's a doer and
she's
having her own ideas um and then she
wants to act
i think those are all really important
empowering takeaway messages
absolutely yeah it's really inspiring to
see
and to read her thoughts and her
understandings of
the teachings that she's being given um
also from the chat we're so struck by
your description
of how all is relational so sort of i
guess piggybacking off of your
your previous answer how do you straddle
indigenous views with settler laws
this is this is the bulk of my academic
work
um is really trying to understand uh
and highlight these differences and make
space for indigenous laws to be part of
decision making
especially in environmental contexts and
relating to water and and treaties as
well
i think you know one of the things that
i want to point out is the fundamental
difference in
how we understand law from different
perspectives
and from you know a western perspective
law
is completely built around individuals
and protecting private interests and a
lot of it is centered around conflict
right adversarial processes and
um people having obligations um
and then rights and then you know it's a
lot about breaking those relationships
whereas if you think about anishinaabe
law and its intent
and its structure it is relational
you're taking into account all of those
relationships
all the time and weighing how your
relationship with one being has an
impact on others and vice versa and that
becomes this complex web of
interconnected relationships
that are all striving towards the same
thing which is
when or a collective sense of well-being
and trying to maintain not only
your yourself in that wellness but
everyone
and all things around you and one of the
moments that i thought was very
interesting and humbling is
asking some elders like how would you
if you add uh the prefix knee
it means mine so would you add that to
menopause
and they said to me that doesn't exist
that concept of your own
only yourself well-being it doesn't
exist because your well-being is
dependent
on the well-being of others that are in
relationship with you
and that was another very profound
moment that it doesn't make its way into
this book but i think it might in the
next is
trying to understand you know that that
idea of relationality as being
uh interconnected through
the concepts of of wellness and
collective wellness
and i think that you know this this book
starts to hint at it but
there's a lot more to to unpack there so
if you contrast
these laws so the systems that help us
make
good decisions one is centered on
individuals
and protection of private property for
the most part and grounded in conflict
the other is relationships and
collective well-being
and we can see that they're completely
different ways of seeing the world
completely different ways of making
decisions and
you know if you think about how treaties
were made in their intent
the anishinaabe parties or indigenous
nations that helped make
treaties were really bringing this this
framework and this thought
to the negotiation and saying we'll
agree to work together
will be in relationship and it will be
for our collective well-being
so if we think about that along with
concepts like respect and renewal and
reciprocity
as part of the treaty relationship then
we have a very very different
understanding than what's written and
what becomes
land transactions and contracts and
that's when we really start getting into
the spirit and intent of treaties
thank you yeah it's a it's a very
fulsome and a huge topic to
to get into and i think you know
especially heading into spring it's it's
a time of renewal i think this is a
really
fantastic book for people to read to
to to rethink their relationship with
nature and the meaning of treaties and
how they're
they're acting and their relationships
with everybody and everything around
them
so thank you for that um do you have any
more
any more questions in the chat here
today
or if anyone would like to be unmuted
that's we definitely encourage that
we've got another question here if
if if a child or family is inspired to
become more active and living well
together
or sharing the land could you offer
suggestions
yeah um well building relationships is
number one
in contributing um so you know not
wanting to have relationships where you
take but
rather where there's that reciprocity
that's that's engaged and
um and educating uh ourselves and each
other i think is
really important um supporting
um and then there are some very
practical things that
we can do so learn you know the treaty
of your area who are the people what are
the traditional names
of the territory on on which you are
residing
um make inquiries about what kind of
contributions those nations are
asking for you to make into the treaty
relationship
and so it's not going to be the same
everywhere across canada that's going to
be
a regional and specific and relational
right now i'm working on
a project with the david suzuki
foundation where we're exploring the
concept of land back
so returning lands and territories i
think is another important part of the
conversation
and so there's a lot of different ways
where we can really engage
um with these different
approaches to living well together and
i think the first step is you know that
gaining that knowledge and building
relationships that's what's going to
make change
thank you thank you so much for for your
time with us today
and your your wisdom and your beautiful
words it's been
it's been really inspiring and like i
said spring is here the sun is shining i
can't wait to go outside and
and to share your book with everybody
that i i cross paths with
um if there are any more questions uh
from the chat i think
we're heading to our time here uh so i
just wanted to say thank you again to
amay and thank you to everybody for your
questions today
and to and for joining us and please
pick up treaty words wherever it's about
available for you thank you so much
thank you thank you make witch
you
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