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| The 7 Generations Series by David Alexander Robertson, just some of his books in our library. |
Mr. Robertson spoke about how he was asked to write a poem in Grade 3 and reluctantly (hiding in a closet in the back of the room) decided to try. He loved the experience so much he wrote a lot of poems instead of just one. With positive feedback from his teacher, who typed, printed and created a booklet of his poems, he decided that he wanted to become a writer. He said his mom supported him in his dream right from the start. He told students this was important in everyone's life, to have someone who believes in you and supports you in your pursuits, even if sometimes others may not.
Mr. Robertson also spoke about what it was like growing up as a half Cree, half Irish/Scottish student in Winnipeg. He was mostly brought up by his mom after his parents parted when he was young. But when he was older, his mom and dad reunited and his dad moved back in with him, his mom and his siblings. Living apart from his Cree father for so long, and enduring teasing about the colour of his skin when he was in elementary and middle school, Mr. Robertson said he spent a lot of time growing up buying into stereotypes about indigenous people and about the North End of Winnipeg. He said he even sometimes laughed along to inappropriate and racist jokes in order to belong, all the while feeling a pain inside about doing so.
When his mom and dad, a respected educator, reunited and David came to know his father, he had to relearn everything he had thought about indigenous people. His dad didn't fit the stereotype others had created and neither did other indigenous people that he met. He decided he wanted to so something to educate others. He combined his two loves of writing and comics, and started writing graphic novels. In addition to containing great stories and art (provided by artists Scott B. Henderson and for The Helen Betty Osborne Story, Madison Blackstone) the graphic novels can be used to educate students about indigenous culture and history, including residential schools.
His first graphic novel was The Life of Helen Betty Osborne. He also wrote Sugar Falls (A Residential Schools Story), The 7 Generations series which includes Stones, Scars, Ends/Begins and The Pact, and the Tales from Big Spirit series which includes The Ballad of Nancy April: Shawnadithit, The Land of Os: John Ramsay, The Poet: Pauline Johnson, The Rebel: Gabriel Dumont, The Scout: Tommy Prince, and The Peacemaker: Thanadelthur.
Article by Heather Armstrong
