Stories central in Vera Wabegijig’s new book of poetry, wild rice dreams by Greg Macdougall
Waaseyaa’sin Christine Sy in Conversation with Vera Wabegijig
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vera wabegijig 
I just shared some of your poetry with my family around the table at Christmas dinner. They are so happy to know what you are doing and the impact your writing is having.
Thank you for your warm wishes and the very same to you and yours!
Renée
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I looked you up Vera, as we were in elementary school together for a few years – the only 2 little brown girls in the class. Do you remember the 3-legged race we ran together and won? I don’t know why, but it’s such as clear memory for me.
I am so happy to know that you are a poet and writer. I realize that I have so much to learn about the place I inhabited for several years as a guest and the people who welcomed me there as a small child. I hope you are well and thank you for sharing your experience through your words.
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I am thrilled to get this message from you, Renee!!! Of course I remember you and the three-legged race!! I think we won? In my memory we won first place!! Ha ha. I hope this reaches you in good spirits and your home fires are burning bright! Sending you warm wishes, Vera
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Dear Vera,
I just saw that you’ll follow our blog from now on and was curious about who you are, so I’m checking out your website and must say “Thank you” ……… I’d probably never found you on my own!
I’m touched and inspired by your story and your thoughts!
I grew up in Ontario and among my friends at school there were many first nations children and as children we never thought we’d be different…..we were just children having a great time…….not really realizing the struggles and doubts the parents and elders had to deal with.
Living in Sweden for a while I found a friend who told me about the same experience you had as a child………her parents and grandparents being Sami and denying her to learn the language as they thought I would be no god for her and now as an adult she feels a great loss and is trying to catch up with her history and language.
I myself can feel with you growing up as a child of German immigrants in Canada and at age 10 moving back to Germany and always feeling something missing in my life (not that I want to compare my life with the struggles of the First Nations !) now finally finding some peace and feeling at the “right place” here in the woods of Nova Scotia.
I wish you all the best and will definitely be stopping by to see where your path is leading you!
All the best and cheers from Nova Scotia
Manuela
restless-roots
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miigwech Manuela for connecting our familiar family histories. i don’t think of it as comparing realities but finding the similarities in experiences.
i remember as a child not knowing the differences between myself or other children. like you said, we’re kids and we see only that. although it changed when we began learning about history. my little school friends found out i was an indian and began to see me and my family, my community as conquered so began treating me as such as well as all the other indian kids. i remember feeling so let down but that’s when the resilience surfaced. we are all survivors of this harsh history as it’s repeated itself around this tiny planet.
thanks again for connecting from nova scotia! i will dropping by your blog as well!
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