MY ‘HERstory’
Growing up in Thunder Bay, playing on the shores of Lake Superior, the big lake called Gichigami, provided me a unique upbringing that until very recently I’d taken for granted. As a child, I was given the gift of translated local legends and myths handed down many generations by the indigenous peoples of our area. Beautiful stories filled with heroes & heroines, mythical beings and wild beasts. These characters were often intertwined with surrounding landscape features, which resulted in a magical respect for Mother Nature. The stories are common knowledge to all living there today whether of Native or European ancestory, and are often found on postcards and proudly retold to children, tourists and newcomers to the area.
As a child I recall hearing these stories and being struck with wonder, delight and even at times, fear about my land. How brave, I thought, that a beautiful PRINCESS would sacrifice her own life for her tribe over the very falls that I go to school next to; or that a GIANT would go to sleep and turn himself to stone to protect his treasure from falling into the wrong hands. I am always proud to retell these tales, to simplify or embellish them, as I feel necessary; they are a part of me, my history, my Canadian culture.
In preparation for this show, I began to search for myths and tales from this area. Manitoba stories that I was certain would be here, but surprisingly, most Manitobans I speak to have no tales to tell me. This has made me cherish the stories of my youth even more. However, I have not given up hope, as I am still sure there are legends and myths of this fine land and its people waiting to be rediscovered and shared. I now find myself on a quest to find them.
In the mean time, I hope you enjoy what I have found for you. Discoveries made on my own personal journey as a Manitoban.
