Metis leader Nick Sibbeston (1943-) was born in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. His memoir “You Will Wear a White Shirt” (2015) recounts his time as NWT premier 1987-1989. Since I worked with the Dene-Metis 1983-1987, I was there when he was premier. His views on Dene-cizing the Catholic church are of great interest to me.
In 1965, my mother Jay Peterson assisted James Reaney in designing marionettes for his “Apple Butter” play. Mom’s contribution, “Moo Cow,” now resides at the Canadian Museum of History. In November 2018, James Reaney’s son James Stewart Reaney gave a presentation about the “Apple Butter” saga at Museum London and “Moo Cow” was in attendance.
In my July 2016 post about Ken Whiteley and my great-great grandfather Michael Sullivan (1813-1886), I explained that Michael changed his name from O’Sullivan to Sullivan after he got on the wrong side of the Catholic Church. Whiteley’s song “That Other Shore” tells Michael’s story. Whiteley performed the song again in Michigan in 2018.
My post examines the cultural misappropriation issue as it relates to Indigenous people who live in Canada. I discuss how my mother Jay Peterson was inspired to design her own baby-carrying devices by those developed by other cultures, including Indigenous. I also mention my father Charles T Peterson’s appreciation for genuine Cowichan sweaters.
In the 1970s, some Indigenous women I knew at the time gave me the nickname “Molasses” because of my slow-motion style. This is my main defence for why it is taking me so long to write about cultural misappropriation, as it relates to Canadian Indigenous people. I also explain that my blog is now HTTPS.
My blog is now HTTPS.
The Ivey Family London Room 2017 “Winter in London” display contained 2015 and 2017 Christmas cards with artwork by my mother Jay Peterson (1920-1976). My post includes a photo of London Room Library Assistant Barb Scott and I standing next to the display which includes these cards.
From 1958 until her passing in 1976, my mother was involved with Indigenous issues. She helped Aboriginal people to market their crafts and supported many of their other endeavours. Some people encouraged me to carry on with her interest, but since the mid-2000s, I have mostly been on the outside looking in.
From the 1950s to the 1960s, my mother was involved with many projects at First-St Andrew’s United Church in London, Ontario. For instance, she helped organize religious art and artifact exhibitions. The Very Reverend Angus J MacQueen (1912-2006) gave my mother’s 1976 eulogy at the church. He described her as “very special kind of person.”
My mother created a shoulder-bag carrier for infants. She also turned a banana box into a swing that small children could play in. She acknowledged she got her ideas for these devices from researching how women had carried their offspring throughout the ages.