Ojibway author ‘one of our greats’
Colleagues recall Kamloops resident Wagamese’s generosity, storytelling abilities
An acclaimed Ojibway writer is being remembered not only for work that reflected on the legacy of the residential school system, but for his generous and loving spirit.
Family members confirm author and journalist Richard Wagamese died Friday afternoon at his home in Kamloops, B.C. He was 61.
Wab Kinew, a writer and a member of the Manitoba legislature, said Wagamese became his mentor after the veteran writer reached out on Facebook, offering to guide him through both the craft and business of writing.
Kinew said he was floored, as he was already a fan of Wagamese’s work.
“To have a hero reach out and basically step into a mentoring role, I think that’s a powerful example of how we should all be,” Kinew said.
Wagamese was a guest lecturer at the University of Victoria in 2011, and a regular speaker at various schools and writing workshops.
Wagamese’s novel Indian Horse was a finalist in CBC’s Canada Reads in 2013. The story is about a boy abused in the residential school system who finds his release in a love of hockey.
Shelagh Rogers, host of CBC’s The Next Chapter and a close friend, said the book explained residential schools in a new way.
“I think it has persuaded many people that this was a terrible time in our history, that this really was the dark shadow and that its history is still alive,” said Rogers.
“He taught us about our history. He taught us the emotional truth of our history, as great fiction writers do. And he was one of our greats.”
Wagamese began his writing career in 1979 as a journalist. In 1991, he became the first indigenous writer to win a National Newspaper Award for column writing.
He has also won the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature for his 2011 memoir One Story, One Song, the Canadian Authors Association Award for Fiction for his novel Dream Wheels in 2007 and the Alberta Writers Guild Best Novel Award for his debut novel Keeper’n Me in 1994.
His latest book, Embers: One Ojibiway’s Meditations, was recently shortlisted for a B.C. Book Prize. Rogers said Wagamese had been working on a sequel to his 2014 novel, Medicine Walk.
“I just know there were so many more stories to come,” she said. “He lived story. Story was who he was. And he felt that we all connect through sharing our stories and that reconciliation would be about sharing our stories.”
Wagamese’s niece Rhonda Fisher said his works were also influenced by his own childhood experiences. She says he was removed from his family by the Children’s Aid Society as part of the so-called ‘60s Scoop and ended up in foster care.