Category: Mary and her Metis Grandma

1) This is auto-fiction and biographical, memoir and historical literary fiction. There are two sets of memoirs; one from the early 1900s (Grandma) and the other from the 1980s through to 2021 (teenager, Mary). I’ve embellished and rewrote my Grandmother’s factually correct memoirs and placed them into additional historical and current events. The manuscript is character-driven with honest emotions.

2) MAHMG is an auto-fiction story of Mary, the 15-year-old Métis, who deals with survivor’s guilt, racism and finding a place where she feels she belongs. Mary lived with her plucky Grandma. Her Grandma told both sad and happy childhood stories from the early 1900s in Saskatchewan which are still currently relevant. Grandma Pearl shared Métis and Indigenous wisdom and stories. Her childhood memoirs are weaved into the 1980 and 2021 stories as Mary comes of age in Vancouver, BC.

3) It is a Métis teenager’s journey of overcoming personal grief, witnessing the pain of others and experiencing the healing power of a Grandma’s love. While some of their stories are harshly realistic it is uplifting because instead of succumbing to self-pity the characters toughly rise above difficult situations with courage and help from each other.

As I edited Ernie Crey's speech about his sister and the women's lives on the Downtown East Side, I was in awe. I marvelled at how the street light shone through Dawn's poster as though she were an angel spreading hope for Vancouver's down town east side.

Why and How is Remembering Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) an Act of Resistance?

by Rita Jasper, posted in Mary and her Metis Grandma, Murdered and Missing
Sureal image with moving words that say Native Aboriginal women, Many of these cases remain unsolved. MMIWG Remembrance is Injustice Resistance
Image from the Moon Water. In the editing of the documentary, I wanted to create an ethereal feeling with moving words. MMIWG Moon Water Episode 1 Chapter 1 Honouring the Missing and Murdered Women and Girls

Across Canada and North America, thousands of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) have been lost to violence. For decades, many cases were ignored or under-investigated. Today, remembering MMIWG is more than mourning—it is an act of resistance against systemic injustice. MMIWG remembrance is injustice resistance.

This crisis—known as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG)—is not only a tragedy; it is widely recognized as a human rights issue rooted in systemic injustice, hence I am proposing it as a CRISIS. MMIWG remembrance is injustice resistance.

At the end of this post (REMEMBERING IS A CALL TO ACTION) is a link to a post that shares Indigenous healing knowledge.

Understanding why this happened requires asking difficult questions. The people I interviewed for the documentary Moon Water answer the questions asked in this article. I spent seven years documenting the crisis so I could present a thorough exposé of the true situation.

  • What is systemic injustice?
  • Why are the MMIWG considered a human rights issue?
  • Why were so many (MMIWG) cases ignored?
  • Why does remembering these women and girls matter?
  • What are some Key Reasons Why Remembering Acts as Resistance?

In this article, I explore how remembrance itself becomes a form of resistance. Many of the people I interviewed for the Moon Water documentary were happy exposing systemic inequality and demanding accountability, all of which ultimately is challenging historical erasure.

While I designed this post primarily for educators, it is valuable for anyone seeking to better understand the MMIWG crisis and its place in history.

What Does MMIWG Mean?

MMIWG stands for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, referring to the disproportionate number of Indigenous women and girls who have disappeared or been murdered across Canada and North America. When I talk with my friends from South America, it is a serious problem on their continent as well.

When I was writing chapter 4 for Mary and her Metis Grandma, I opened with this quote. 1 “A nation is not conquered until the hearts of its women are on the ground. Then it is done, no matter how brave it’s warriors nor how strong their weapons.” (Cheyenne Proverb).

What is systemic Injustice and resistance?

Systemic injustice occurs when institutions create and maintain policies that unfairly disadvantage certain groups of people. 

How do Institutions Reinforce Inequality?

Moreover, governments, schools, and legal systems have historically reinforce(d) inequality through biased practices and beliefs such as racism and sexism. Historically and even today, decision makers feel they are “better than” the groups they oppress.

Ambulence at hospital emergency in the evening. MMIWG Remembrance is Injustice Resistance

There is racism–even in hospitals, and I know this because when attendants discovered I lived on a reserve, their attitudes changed and not for the better.

This picture is from the documentary Moon Water. When I edited this video i timed the headlights to turn off with the word passing.

Did you know that women, regardless of skin colour, were not allowed to vote in Canadian government elections? When I watch Murdoch Mysteries, Dr. Julia Ogden (the lead female character) fights for women’s right to vote. Brave women were protesting this discrimination for decades. But it wasn’t until May 24, 1918, that we got the right to vote in federal elections.

When it came to First Nations Peoples securing their rights, they had a much harder go of it. 

A Historical Example: The Indian Act and Legal Barriers

For example, in 1927, the federal government introduced Section 141 into the Indian Act. 2 https://theconversation.com/how-the-indian-acts-blackout-period-denied-indigenous-peoples-their-legal-rights-191040 Thus making it illegal for Indigenous people to hire lawyers to pursue land claims without government permission. More specifically, permission from the Department of Indian Affairs. 3 https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-affairs-and-northern-development-canada.

This legal restriction lasted until 1951 (contact 1492) when Canada revised sections of the Act after committing to international human rights standards. These revisions then made it possible for Indigenous people to hire lawyers. 4 https://raventrust.com/articles/access-to-justice-was-outlawed-with-the-indian-act/#:~:text= 

This type of systemic racism extends to today regarding the MMIWG. It is not that they are unable to hire lawyers today, but the police force as a whole does not seem to take the murders of Indigenous Peoples seriously. Additionally, because most Indigenous people live in the lower economic strata of our society, most cannot hire experienced lawyers.

While at a February 14th Women’s Memorial March, I couldn’t resist recording Kelly White, who was wearing a very explicit t-shirt. It is called Prisoners of Democracy; on the back of her t-shirt, it gives the date of contact. It also positions the colonization as an ongoing Holocaust.

Kelly White wears a t-shirt that says Indian Holocaust 1492-1992. MMIWG Remembrance is Injustice Resistance

What are Human Rights?

Image of Angela Marie MacDougal. Compliments of Moon Water and myself, Rita Jasper. MMIWG Remembrance is Injustice Resistance

I interviewed Angela Marie MacDougal at a safe house operated by BWSS. She talks about how women were classified as property.

According to the United Nations, human rights include:

  • The right to life and liberty
  • Freedom from violence and discrimination
  • Freedom of expression
  • The right to education and work
  • Equal protection under the law

Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.” 5  https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/human-rights#:~:text= Now in 2026, human rights include systemic discrimination, violence against marginalized groups, and the protection of civil liberties in the digital age.

Why is MMIWG a Human Rights Crisis as it relates to Indigenous Femicide?

The crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is considered a human rights issue because many governments and institutions have failed to adequately protect Indigenous women and girls from violence by not investigating or punishing the perpetrators. MMIWG remembrance is injustice resistance. It represents a deliberate, widespread, and systemic pattern of race and gender-based violence.

Inequality Before the Law for MMIWG

When some citizens receive less protection or justice than others, their fundamental human rights are violated. 

Angela MacDougal, Director of Battered Women Support Services (BWSS), told me about how law enforcement infighting was detrimental to addressing the murders of MMIWG. “In the mid-90s, we had several serial killers in Vancouver operating, at least three, who were responsible for the murders of many women. And law enforcement simply was not investigating.” 6  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGpEkmTEG9M

She also talked about the “…infighting between the police, the jurisdictional issues between Vancouver Police Department and RCMP, the racism and the sexism that was inherent in their practices, and the fact that they had the suspect in custody, with compelling evidence, compelling evidence, and they let him go, which contributed to the murders of 14 more women.”

What do community members think about the MMIWG inquiries?

At the inquiry Grand Chief Stewart Phillip is interviewed. MMIWG Remembrance is Injustice Resistance

Outside the doors of where the inquiry results were presented, I recorded community members stating that a National Inquiry is necessary. Chief Stewart Phillip discusses the imbalance in representation between government and advocacy groups. His opinion was that this was “…the grossest violation of the human rights of women…” 7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGKkRejjcaw.

Brother of Mona Wilson, who was one of the murdered women, talks about how the inquiry has done nothing to protect the MMIWG, and he added, “…children.” Georgina Papin’s sisters discuss why they were skeptical of the report. Bridget Perrier talks about the situation as an “…epic fail.” 8  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWSiG81JPg4

Is Police Misconduct Against Indigenous Women Still Occurring?

Now, years later, after the serial killer’s trial and the inquiry, police misconduct is still occurring in Vancouver. Police were found guilty of misconduct in the case of Tatyanna Harrison. “More than a decade after the Oppal Inquiry, it is shameful that the most basic recommendations have not been effectively implemented. If the Vancouver police cannot muster the political will to implement fundamental case management and investigation standards, I find it hard to believe that they are paying anything more than lip service to the much harder work of addressing deeply rooted systemic discrimination that contributes to an ongoing epidemic of violence against Indigenous girls and women. 9 https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/vancouver-police-committed-misconduct-in-handling-case-of-tatyanna-harrison-report/

Why Were So Many MMIWG Cases Ignored?

Understanding systemic injustice helps explain why so many cases remained unresolved. To answer this question, remember what systemic injustice is. To help answer this question, remember or go back to “Law Enforcement Failures.”

Institutional Bias

Racism, sexism, and colonial attitudes contributed to the perception that these victims were less important. Colonial attitudes continue to influence the perpetuation of racism and sexism. These beliefs are based on the opinions that they and their families are superior to Indigenous people.

Systemic Neglect in MMIWG Investigations

Families and advocates have long argued that many cases were:

  • dismissed too quickly
  • poorly investigated
  • treated with less urgency than similar cases involving non-Indigenous victims

I remember standing outside for hours in December at the MMIWG inquiry, video-recording the speakers. We all stood shivering in the damp cold. Marlene George spoke about how there was very little attention or financial resources allocated to the MMIWG. At the same time, Bridget Perrier and Angel Wolfe talk about systemic racism, classism and that it’s a patriarchal thing. 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkBSg-kF8Wg The cold weather did not deter our efforts at the vigil.

Community members participage in an outside vigil for the MMIWG. They drum, hold pictures of the women and do a ceremony with roses. MMIWG Remembrance is Injustice Resistance

What Questions do Advocates Continue to Ask?

Many families, friends and community members still ask: How could these crimes continue for so long without meaningful action? Kelly White asks, “What does the law have to hide that they let the murders go on for so long?” 11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJQM6vday8o

Why is Remembrance Important?

Remembering victims is more than an act of mourning. Acts of memory keep their stories alive. It is also a form of resistance. When stories are remembered and shared, they prevent injustice from being erased and force society to confront uncomfortable truths. MMIWG remembrance is injustice resistance.

Remembering is a powerful way to resist injustice. First, it fights against erasing history.  By remembering people and events, we are the witnesses to justice or unfairness. It also keeps the truth alive so others cannot forget what happened. Once truths are in the light, we can turn survivors’ pain into lessons that demand accountability.

As I edited Ernie Crey's speech about his sister and the women's lives on the Downtown East Side, I was in awe. I marvelled at how the street light shone through Dawn's poster as though she were an angel spreading hope for Vancouver's down town east side. MMIWG Remembrance is Injustice Resistance
The light of hope on the Downtown East Side. Director of Photography and Editor: Rita Jasper

As I edited Ernie Crey’s speech about his sister and the women’s lives on the Downtown East Side, I was in awe. I marvelled at how the street light shone through Dawn’s poster as though she were an angel spreading hope for Vancouver’s downtown east side.

What are some key Reasons Why Remembering Is an Act of Resistance?

1. It Fights Historical Erasure

Remembering challenges attempts to silence or ignore marginalized histories. Remembering becomes a fight against forgetting. Old Hands talks about how “We are not going to forget. 12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiXteU6eOdQ

2. It Holds Institutions and People Accountable

Documenting injustice ensures that governments and institutions cannot avoid responsibility. By recalling past injustices, we prevent wrongdoers from escaping responsibility. MMIWG remembrance is injustice resistance.

3. It Challenges Power and Colonial Narratives

Remembering exposes the power structures that allowe(d) violence to continue. It directly opposes systems of violence and colonial control that depend on keeping people unaware and others in the cycle of poverty. 

What are the results of Fabricating Jails of Poverty?

Kelly talks about how the Pig Farmer, Picton, selected his victims; 13 they were often drug-dependent people. Ernie Crey talks about how colonial and today’s government or social service practices make Indigenous people dependent on the system. Put PICTURE of Ernie from blog media library & Kelly (fr computer)  14  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJQM6vday8o In a painful revelation, Eagle Claw describes how predators lured vulnerable women — including his sister — to the farm where many were murdered by the pig farmer (we do not say his name because that gives this murdering butcher’s legacy energy). Here, the truth is confronted directly. 15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilPCnRE_NRU

Eagle places a rose on Mona's picture at a memorial spot in a community garden. MMIWG Remembrance is Injustice Resistance

Eagle places a rose on Mona’s picture at a memorial spot in a community garden.

Law Enforcement Failures regarding MMIWG

Investigations were often delayed, under-resourced, or poorly coordinated between agencies.
Marlene George talks about how little was spent on the MMIWG when they were alive, compared to how much was spent on the inquiry. A brother holds up a placard with Mona Wilson’s photo and a caption that says she was homeless when murdered. Bridgette Perier and Angel Wolf talk about “…Epic fail”.  16 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkBSg-kF8Wg

4. It Reveals Hidden or Misrepresented Histories

I’ve walked past the Gassy Jack Statue for years, not knowing the dark history behind his activities. Some historical figures celebrated in public memory are tied to exploitation or violence against Indigenous women. One such figure was Gassy Jack. The statue’s story represented him as an adventurous entrepreneur. In fact, that is a misrepresentation and avoidance of the dark, often unacknowledged truth of the Western European colonizers’ exploitation and abuse of Indigenous women and girls.

This colonial attitude towards the feminine was in complete contrast of the Indigenous perspective. 17  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN55VPjyi64 Systemic violence and history erasure are still happening today. As an act of resistance, Indigenous women pulled down the statue. There are now raised planters where this insensitive (to say the least), outdated statue used to live.

5. It Preserves Identity and Truth for Indigenous and non-Indigenous

Remembering protects stories, experiences, and cultural identities for future generations. MMIWG remembrance is injustice resistance.

6. It Inspires Education and Action

Preserving and sharing knowledge of the past gives people the courage and motivation to challenge injustice today.

Pocahontas and the History of “Stolen Sisters”

In the appendices is an excerpt from Mary and her Metis Grandma — Chapter 05 called  “Halloween and Pocahontas — an Indian Princess?” When I started writing this chapter, I wanted it to be a fun story, but I realized this was an opportunity to write an engaging story about the sad outcome of Pocahontas.

Before I knew the true story, I remember thinking that Princess sounded nice. In the novel, boy oh boy does Grandma set Mary straight, but in a respectful way. The true story of Pocahontas reveals how Indigenous women have often been romanticized or misrepresented in popular culture. It is a denigrating stereotype that masquerades as a compliment.

Labelling Indigenous women as “Indian princesses” may appear as flattery, but it often erases the difficult realities of colonial violence and survival. The women epitimizes stregnth and resilience.

Understanding these narratives helps expose the deeper historical roots of violence against Indigenous women and girls. When you download the PDF Appendices, you can read a snippet of the novel (Mary and her Metis Grandma).

How can educators Use This Article?

This resource can support learning in:
History, Social Studies, English Language Arts, Civics, Indigenous Studies, Law, and Social Justice courses.

Additional materials—besides documentary links and transcripts, there are excerpts from Mary and Her Métis Grandma; these are included in the content, footnotes and/or appendices.

Note: All video content will require adult supervision for younger viewers.

Remembrance turns the past into a living, active force rather than a forgotten memory. We can learn from it. If you wish to view all Moon Water episodes in sequential order, please click this link now or come back to it later. https://ritajasperart.com/2024/11/17/moon-water-table-of-content-missing-murdered-indigenous-women/

Remembering is a Call to Action

Whether through storytelling, archiving, education, art, or ceremony, remembrance keeps history alive.
Some Indigenous wisdom will help you and others heal. This loving post is called “Let the Water and Ceremonies Wash Away Our Pain” and here is the link: https://ritajasperart.com/2026/03/02/let-the-water-wash-away-our-pain/

Remembrance ensures that the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls are not forgotten—and that the fight for justice continues.

Remembering Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is not only an act of mourning—it is a form of resistance. By keeping their stories alive, we challenge systemic injustice, demand accountability, and ensure that the MMIWG crisis is never ignored again. MMIWG remembrance is injustice resistance.

#RitaJasperArt #MoonWaterMMIWG #TeachTheTruth #SocialJusticeEducation #NeverForgotten #RemembranceIsResistance #ResilienceAndResistance #JusticeForIndigenousWomen #HumanRights

  1. Mary and her Métis Grandma. (Chapter 4 – Activists, Street Life for Women on the Downtown East Side) Author Rita Jasper (n.d.). https://atbaypress.com/books/detail/mary-and-her-metis-grandma ↩︎
  2. Swiffen, A. (2022b). How the Indian Act’s ‘blackout period’ denied Indigenous peoples their legal rights. The Conversation. Retrieved Mar 9, 2026 https://theconversation.com/how-the-indian-acts-blackout-period-denied-indigenous-peoples-their-legal-rights-191040 ↩︎
  3. Article: Federal Departments of Indigenous and Northern Affairs. (n.d.). The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved Mar 9, 2026 https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-affairs-and-northern-development-canada ↩︎
  4. Raven. (2020, June 24). Access to Justice was Outlawed with the Indian Act. Raven Trust. Retrieved Mar 9, 2026 https://raventrust.com/articles/access-to-justice-was-outlawed-with-the-indian-act/#:~:text=  ↩︎
  5. United Nations. (n.d.). Human Rights | United Nations. Retrieved Mar 9, 2026 https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/human-rights#:~:text=Human rights include these rights, without discrimination. ↩︎
  6. Rita Jasper & Ritajasperart [@jasperrita]. (2024b, July 15). MMIWG Moon Water Episode 3 Chapter 1 Law Enforcement Infighting [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved Mar 11, 2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGpEkmTEG9M
    Open PDF to read APPENDIX 1 for video transcript ↩︎
  7. Rita Jasper & Ritajasperart [@jasperrita]. (2024g, July 17). MMIWG Moon Water Episode 3 Chapter 8 Human rights violations [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGKkRejjcaw 
    Open PDF to read APPENDIX 2 for video transcript ↩︎
  8. Rita Jasper & Ritajasperart [@jasperrita]. (2024f, July 15). MMIWG Moon Water Episode 3 Chapter 7 Children & Epic Fail [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWSiG81JPg4 
    Open PDF to read APPENDIX 3 for video transcript ↩︎
  9. Aboriginal Peoples Television News [APTN], & House, T. (2026, February 24). Vancouver police committed ‘misconduct’ in handling case of Tatyanna Harrison: report. APTN News. https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/vancouver-police-committed-misconduct-in-handling-case-of-tatyanna-harrison-report/ ↩︎
  10. Rita Jasper & Ritajasperart [@jasperrita] . (2024g, November 8). MMIWG Moon Water Episode 1 Chapter 5 National Shame, Money & Patriarchy [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkBSg-kF8Wg 
    Open PDF to read APPENDIX 4 for transcripts  ↩︎
  11. Rita Jasper & Ritajasperart [@jasperrita]. (n.d.). MMIWG Moon Water Episode 3 Chapter 2 Denial and Accountability [Video]. @Jasperrita. Retrieved Mar 9, 2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJQM6vday8o.
    Open PDF to read APPENDIX 5 for transcript ↩︎
  12. Rita Jasper & Ritajasperart [@jasperrita]. (2024a, May 29). MMIWG Moon Water Episode 1 Chapter 3 Family and Friends share stories about Georgina Papin. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiXteU6eOdQ 
    Open PDF to read APPENDIX 6 for video transcript  ↩︎
  13. I apologize for having to state the serial killer’s name. We say his name as seldom as possible because we do not want to give his legacy energy, which is power. ↩︎
  14. Rita Jasper & Ritajasperart [@jasperrita].. (2024c, July 15). MMIWG Moon Water Episode 3 Chapter 2 Denial and Accountability [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJQM6vday8o
    Open PDF to go to APPENDIX 7 for video transcript  ↩︎
  15. Rita Jasper & Ritajasperart [@jasperrita].. (2024b, June 17). MMIWG Moon Water Episode 2 Open Open PDF for transcripts Chapter 5 Eagle Claw talks about Mona’s lifestyle [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilPCnRE_NRU
    Open PDF to go to APPENDIX 8 for transcripts & open PDF ↩︎
  16. Rita Jasper & Ritajasperart [@jasperrita]. (2024f, November 8). MMIWG Moon Water Episode 1 Chapter 5 National Shame, Money & Patriarchy [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkBSg-kF8Wg  ↩︎
  17. Rita Jasper & Ritajasperart [@jasperrita].. (2024g, July 15). MMIWG Moon Water Episode 3 Chapter 9 Matriarchy vs Colonialism [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN55VPjyi64      22 seconds in
    Go to APPENDIX 9 for transcripts & open PDF ↩︎
leaf floating in water

Let the Water and Ceremonies Wash Away Our Pain

by Rita Jasper, posted in Mary and her Metis Grandma, Murdered and Missing, Uncategorized
close up of water with a misty yellow sun shining in in the distance

In this post I share some experiences and Indigenous healing knowledge that has been shared with me. The following paragraphs provide a taste of my experiences at a Sweat Lodge and a Water ceremony.

My skin felt like silk as I perspired in the Sweat lodge. As for the Water ceremony it is a woman’s ritual, and I share a link to a short video. But first, here are some summarized sections of the Novel, Mary and her Metis Grandma. It should be noted that Grandma leans toward her First Nation Ansestors.

Held in Grandma’s Circle of Loving Protection

In the chapter called “Where the Stories Came From,” I, the author, describe my young life with my Grandma. First, I want everyone to know, I felt safe and loved when I was with her. Because I, as a teen, didn’t want to cause Grandma any stress, I tried to stay out of trouble. But, even when I made mistakes, Grandma forgave me. As a result, I often worried about who would care for Grandma if I were ever sent to a group home?

In the novel, I call the teenager Mary.

Speaking for the Voiceless (MMIWG), Calling Spirits to Witness

Even though Grandma was a feminist, she talked with a soft heart about a serious problem in Vancouver and other parts of Canada; this trouble was and is the Missing and Murdered Women and Girls (MMIWG). This is where criminals have harmed, and in many cases murdered, Indigenous women and girls. In particular, we discussed violent crimes in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. For example, I refer to the case of monstrous murderers and, in particular, the serial murderer we simply call “pig farmer”. Because his actions were so horrible, I struggle to understand how anyone can forgive such crimes. Women and girls still face constant violence and we; you and I are witnesses.

Harm to One Is Harm to All

Grandma guides Mary toward forgiveness as she encourages Mary to look beyond stereotypes and recognize that all people are connected through the “circle of life”; “…Sometimes, I have to remind myself of [Grandma’s] wise suggestion.” 1 https://ritajasperart.com/category/mary-and-her-metis-grandma/ In other words, when someone hurts another person, they also harm themselves. Therefore, Grandma and her friends continue to call for justice, change and actively speak out about the many unsolved murders of women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJb0DvY6CXc

Humming in the Dark, Healing in the Heat

In this chapter, Magdalena’s First Sweat, Grandma and Mary take Magdalena, a homeless person, to a “sweat”. 3 https://www.strongnations.com/gs/show.php?gs=4&gsd=3914 Mary and Grandma were trying to help Magdalena heal and look forward to getting her children back from foster care. Magdalena is hard of hearing and asks Mary to speak her prayers.


First, Mary prays and asks people to understand that anger often comes from deep hurt. Then she asks for help, letting go of guilt and frustration. Mary feels bad about being angry at her mother for passing away. At the same time, Magdalena feels unjust anger at herself for losing her children.
 Both pray for the strength to forgive themselves and those who have hurt them. Throughout the ceremony, all sing and hum together. It should be noted that each Elder’s ceremony is unique to them.

Tears and Letting Go

leaf floating in water at night

The forest cleanses our spirits and souls.

The rivers cleanse the forests, and takes away what we no longer need.

Photo by John Noonan on Unsplash

Mary, the teen, talks in Mary and her Metis Grandma:
“It surprised me, and it might seem absurd, but it felt good to cry. I remember Grandma Pearl telling me between her little sobs, ‘Crying is a sacred water ceremony’. You need to be able to cry to release all kinds of poisons. We can heal through crying. We should not be ashamed or apologetic when we cry because it is a sacred ceremony.” …

Lo and behold, a little while later, Ducky, Granny’s pet, passed. We put him in a child’s toy boat and put him on a lake to float away.

The Spirits Carry What We Release

light shines through a forest

Grandma’s influence has me believing that when people speak their prayers out loud, the spirits carry their pain away and let the forest heal it.

Photo by Sebastian Unrau on Unsplash

Mary says in the novel: “…I think I was unconsciously trying to deal with my anger. I felt like there was anger from one of the participants in the sweat, who probably thought, What does this white bimbo know about forgiveness or pain? What the fuck does she have to forgive? But maybe I was just being paranoid.”
 At the end, the facilitator asks everyone to pray for themselves. After that, the group shares gratitude for everything in their lives. The sweat ceremony helps them heal.

Kisewatisiwin: The Sacred Teaching of Loving-Kindness and More

Around 2014, I filmed the documentary Moon Water at Trout Lake, where Lisa Yellow-Quill led a Water Ceremony; this wasd after the Women’s March. During her speech, she explained that although women endure suffering, they hold sacred roles and responsibilities. This, as all ceremonies, must be conducted in loving-kindness. In particular, she described women as life-givers who carry amniotic fluid. This pre-birth fluid is the same as the rivers, lakes, oceans, rain, snow, mist, and tears are to Mother Earth.

Lisa Yellow-quill is Master of Ceremony at Trout Lake. This is a Water ceremony

“Today is about demonstrating a way of life. It’s something that we value, and it’s the water. It’s about the water that we carry. …that amniotic fluid that creates life.

I’m really happy that you came and that you are here to support me. And to stand up for Mother Earth and for that lifeblood that flows through her. And all the women that we are going to be walking for.”

Unifying Ceremony

Kelly White and Lisa Yellowquill talk about the importance of unifying. 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8-km0ZaCHs

Kelly talks about how when she came back from working for the United Nations and how she “…found her sisters body parts on the ground.” That time was very dificult because of “…brutal race battle relations that we are still going through… … my abition is to capture the spirit of unity and honour and create that essence to deliver so that everyone can pick up a drum [regardless of race or culture] … …so my part was to create an Assembly of Nations for each others. …” Kelly then talks about her part in starting the Feb 14th Memorial March.

Lisa says: “The direction is here. The direction is that this is a unifying ceremony. It’s a woman’s ceremony, and it’s about bringing us all together. It’s also why we’re carrying those buckets; they say it’s about why we are carrying those tears. We are carrying those tears of those women [MMIWG]. We will carry that water, and we will demonstrate that way [of life], and I think that what that is about, also for us women, is about, like, demonstrating a way of governance that is related to the land.“

Land, Governance and Women’s role

Because our government’s way is contrary to this land. It [colonizers’ laws] came from another place… 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8-km0ZaCHs And so, it is artificial, and it’s not working here, and it is hurting us. And it is hurting the land, and so this way demonstrates our relationship to the land and a way of governing and women’s role in that governance and our responsibility.”

Cree Word for Water

Nipiy is the Cree word for water. It names the life-giving spirit that nurtures us in the womb. Then, as our mothers’ waters break, water brings us into the world. Therefore, we can return to any water ceremony at any time to seek healing, renewal, and balance in our well-being (mind, body, spirit).

…Ksay-wat-so-win continued — different scene

In this chapter, Grandma teaches an important lesson. 6 First, she explains that the word “kisewatisiwin” translates to “kindness” in English. However, she says that the English word does not fully explain its meaning. Instead, kisewatisiwin means living in a respectful, good way.

Furthermore, Grandma explains that this teaching calls people to practice humility, pray often, and show loving-kindness to all living things. For this reason, she smudges every day. Through these daily actions, she believes people learn how to forgive and live in balance.

Grandma was talking about living in true relationships with All Beings. Side note: almost all the Indigenous cultures I have been introduced to believe that even rocks are sanctioned beings. This is balance.

Forgiveness as Returning to Balance

September is always a rough month for her because that is when her mother dies. Immediately, after turning the calendar page, old memories and painful feelings rush back. 


In the book, Mary said, “I was Alice in Wonderland, where everything around me was giant-sized, including the oversized [nurse’s] shoes. Then came the question, “How would I feel if I were somehow complicit in the death of a mother, leaving children to fend for themselves?” 
Because of this realization, Mary chose to forgive the nurses as individuals. However, she still felt angry at the world.
Nature helped Mary deal with death. 7 https://youtu.be/wrgUwRqBm9k?si=P008QK8_FMePG2hY

Breath Returning to the Heart

Then, something changed. “…after I forgave the nurses, I was able to breathe. I have since learned that is where our ‘heart chakra’ is. When I was able to forgive, I thought to myself, Wow! What an amazing feeling to be able to breathe deeply!” The forgiveness happened quickly, even though Mary had carried hate for many years.

In the wake of this powerful moment, Mary felt as if she had escaped from a poisonous jail of agony. “After this epiphany of forgiveness, it felt as though I was released from a dark prison of horrors whose walls were made of slithery-shifting pain.”

Releasing Blame Into the Light

The next day, she continued to practice forgiveness. Step by step, she brought her hidden pain into the light. 

From the novel, Mary says: “It was as if a cage had been unlocked from which I scrambled or crawled and dragged the tortured pieces of my spirit into the light. Secrets live in the dark. Out of the darkness. Into the light. All joyous life, spiritual and physical, is energized by bright, illuminating light.” 

Mary faced her wounded inner child instead of pushing it away. “We all carry pain. I could no longer ignore my shadow [of pain].” Although the memories shocked her, they also helped her forgive herself and others. In the end, forgiveness gave her a sense of freedom, healing, and peace.

#MetisStories #WaterCeremony #SweatLodge #HealingWithNature #LandBasedHealing #HealingThroughTears #StoriesThatHeal #MMIWG #EarthWisdom

  1. Jasper, R. (2026, February 22). Mary and her Metis Grandma Archives – Rita Jasper Art of Life. Rita Jasper Art of Life. https://ritajasperart.com/category/mary-and-her-metis-grandma/ ↩︎
  2. Jasper, R. (Producer, Direct, Editor, Director of Photography) (2013) Rita Jasper. (2024, June 12). MMIWG Moon Water Episode 1 Chapter 5 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJb0DvY6CXc ↩︎
  3. Sweat is an Indigenous ceremony.
    What is the proper etiquette for Sweat Lodge ceremonies?
    Strong Nations Book Store & Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre. (n.d.). What is the proper etiquette for sweat lodge ceremonies? Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre. Retrieved February 26, 2026 from https://www.strongnations.com/gs/show.php?gs=4&gsd=3914 ↩︎
  4. Episode 3 Chapter 10 Unity & Ceremony Retrieved August 12, 2025 YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8-km0ZaCHs ↩︎
  5. Rita Jasper. (2024c, July 21). MMIWG Moon Water Episode 3 Chapter 10 Unity & Ceremony [Video]. Retrieved August 12, 2025 YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8-km0ZaCHs ↩︎
  6. Lightbourn, D., Paul, E., Pasula, S., Mustus, C.,…Strattkotter, R., (2018/19). Stories from the Kohkoms: Circle Teachings Calendar
    Timeline Section 1885 ↩︎
  7. Reading in video format from Mary and her Metis Grandma Chapter 1 https://youtu.be/wrgUwRqBm9k?si=P008QK8_FMePG2hY ↩︎

Powwows

by Rita Jasper, posted in Mary and her Metis Grandma
Elder Indigenous man dances wearing traditional Powwow regalia

http://Photo by <a href=”https://unsplash.com/@andrewjamesphoto?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText”>Andrew James</a> on <a href=”https://unsplash.com/photos/man-wearing-headdress-ehdsg7SHm6A?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText”>Unsplash</a>

Writing Process

When I was writing Mary and her Metis Grandma, https://ritajasperart.com/category/mary-and-her-metis-grandma/ I did a lot of research, some of which had to do with Powwow. I went about re-reading my Grandma’s memoirs, talking to Elders, and reading websites. I came across this internet article called Recovering Stolen Dances – the Dance Current. (2022, February 8)  1

This is a summarized snippet from the article

Indigenous Powwow or dance in Canada has a long, rich, and diverse history. Across Turtle Island 2 different regions and communities create and practice their own unique dance traditions. For example, Plains First Nations hold powwows, the Lakota people perform rabbit dances, and the Haudenosaunee share smoke dances.

Purpose of Powwow

In addition, each dance serves an important purpose, such as celebrating culture, honouring ancestors, healing communities, and bringing people together. Some say that the dances not only showed fighting skills but also represented different animals that they hunted; the dances were of respect.

Grandma wrote about Pierre, a family friend and very respected Powwow dancer from the reserve next door.

In Granny’s own words, here is a snippet from Mary and her Metis Grandma.

…Pierre, the husband and the baby’s father, was one of the special war and powwow dancers. 3 …Pre-contact warrior societies were strictly for men, who would use music and dance to prepare themselves for battle by simulating moves such as sneaking up on an enemy warrior. They danced to the beat of the drum. 

Before warriors left for battle or a hunt, community members encouraged them as they watched. When they came back from battle, the warriors re-enacted their war experiences through dancing. The dances demonstrated what they had done against the enemy and the various moves they used to avoid injury, capture, or death! They showed each other how to fight or hunt.

Grandma also talks about how Pierre could move the skin on his back like ripples going across water. I wasn’t sure if Grandma was exaggerating, but years later, I was talking with Delores Smith, a friend, who told me that she had seen dancers up north do exactly that.

Furthermore, even within powwows, dancers perform many different styles. Men and women compete in traditional dances and fancy dances, while others perform the grass dance or the jingle dress dance. Through these powerful movements, Indigenous communities preserve their history, express identity, and pass traditions on to the next generation.

Below is another little snippet from Mary and her Metis Grandma.

Powwows were illegal after 1885 and, as textbooks say, until 1951, but Red Pheasant Reserve had a Powwow in 1915

The Red Pheasant Powwow Grandma Pearl told me about took place sometime before 1915. This is important because many Canadian history books say that powwows were not allowed until around 1951. But in Grandma Pearl’s story, the events happened before they moved to Battleford, which wasn’t until 1915. I know my memory is correct because Grandma Pearl wrote about this event in her memoirs, which she published.

So obviously, they had an illegal powwow and only invited those they could trust. It’s the same when people were going to a party, where they knew everyone was going to be smoking ‘wacky tobackeeeey’ before it was decriminalized—do you think they invited the police? I don’t think so. It would therefore seem likely that the Indian Agent was not invited to the powwow.

And this powwow, the first one Grandma remembers, was special…

  1. Recovering Stolen Dances – the Dance Current. (2022, February 8). The Dance Current. Retrieved December 2023 from 
    https://thedancecurrent.com/article/recovering-stolen-dances/#:~:text=Indigenous%20dance%20and%20dance%2Dcentred%20ceremonies%20were%20banned%20by%20law,was%20later%20banned%20in% ↩︎
  2. Canada and the USA; some include S. America as part of Turtle Island ↩︎
  3. Powwow Dances. (Apr 7, 2016). The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/powwow-dances ↩︎

Intergenerational Storytelling in Mary and Her Métis Grandma

by Rita Jasper, posted in Mary and her Metis Grandma, Uncategorized

To begin, the shared passages are Intergenerational Metis Storytelling with Mary and her Metis Grandma. In this post I, Rita Jasper—author of Mary and her Métis Grandma https://ritajasperart.com/category/mary-and-her-metis-grandma/—create a historically grounded portrait of Métis and Indigenous prairie life.

More specifically, these paragraphs connect directly to the story of the Red River carts and the buffalo (bison). With this in mind, I invite you to enjoy this post and my soon-to-be-published novel.

MODES of TRAVEL: Intergenerational Metis Storytelling, details Red River Carts

To understand this history, it helps to look at transportation. In Grandma’s time, people travelled in modern horse-drawn carriages. But before that, earlier Metis people used Red River carts.

Noteably, the carts were constructed entirely of wood, bound with rawhide and held together by wooden pins. As a result of this practical design, families could easily repair them. The wood rubbing against wood created a powerful squeaking sound that carried for miles across the prairie and rolling hills. Consequently, people often said, “…the squeaky creaking was the Red River ballad.”

Intergenerational Metis Storytelling: Red River cart or wagon wheel with rawhide.

From Mary and her Metis Grandma

In Grandma’s own words:


“Back in the day, you could hear those Red River wagons, or carts, creaking and creeping along for miles across those never-ending prairies and rolling hills. At the time, they were called ‘Red River carts’ because most Métis lived in the Red River area. Previously, the area was called Rupert’s Land.

I was told that those Red River carts creaked because they were made without metal nails. Yes, even the nails were made of wood. Later, in my generation, we had modern horse-drawn Democrat buggies.

Intergenerational Metis Storytelling: A man's hand is placing a wooden peg nail into the Red River car axle.
Duncan Cowichan Exhibition Grounds
Metis Rendezvous 2025

By the end of the summer, we Métis had a lot of smoked and dried buffalo meat. Importantly, this food carried us through the winter.”

Red River cart replica with wood wheel with wood nails.
Red River cart replica with wood wheel with wood nails.

Intergenerational Metis Storytelling talks of Prairie Life, Travel with SCOUTS (1900s)

Meanwhile, Grandma told her stories with warmth and friendly humour. In addition to recounting history, she sprinkled in playful expressions like, “Saskabush… hee heeee”.

Grandmas’ Intergenerational Metis Storytelling: Saskatchewan, Traveling in wagons and relying on Scouts


…For instance, camping with a group of people who had travelled from different parts of Saskabush… hee heeee. You knew I meant Saskatchewan. At the time, almost everyone was travelling by wagon or cart with extra horses. Sometimes horses become lame and can’t pull anything heavy.

Intergenerational Metis Storytelling about prairie back roads

http://Photo by Gauravdeep Singh Bansal on Unsplash


Because of this, scouts were important because they would scooooot. After all, that’s what scouts do, scoot ahead to check that the trail or road conditions are passable for wagons. So, we tried to make the horses’ or oxen’s work as easy as possible because we didn’t want them to become injured on a rough trail. With that in mind, you can imagine how much we valued the scouts.

Buffalo, Bone China and Colonial Policies

However, the history of the prairies also carries deep sorrow. The government wanted to clear the prairies of buffalo primarily to gain more land for farmers. To achieve this goal, officials deliberately targeted Indigenous Peoples’ main food source. They felt it was necessary to exterminate the Indigenous people. Intergenerational Metis Storytelling, documents this history.

By destroying the bison herds Indigenous peoples’ ability to survive with any level of autonomy was also gone. Some consider the governments’ actions as attempted extermination of the people. Therefore, this was more than cultural oppression. But grandma’s storytelling itself is an act of resistance—preserving voice and memory.

BUFFALO SLAUGHTER


It was a deliberate government policy to subdue Indigenous Peoples by removing their food source. This is how Grandma recounts the history.

Grandma’s voice took on a menacing tone regarding the slaughter of the bison. Yet, through her storytelling, she actively resisted erasure and preserved memory, voice, and truth for future generations.

…However, the North American railways, with the government policies, had the intention to starve Indigenous Peoples. Specifically, the government decided to exterminate the buffalo because that would make the Indians dependent on the colonizing government. 1 ( https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/buffalo-hunt )

Intergenerational Metis Storytelling Calf feeding on mother bison

Photographer Gauravdeep Singh Bansal https://unsplash.com/photos/green-grass-field-under-blue-sky-during-daytime-BYJGuUu6UkM

Some will tell you that in the 1870s, there was a steady demand for buffalo products, which encouraged massive slaughter in N. America. So, yes, there was a demand for bison products. But to say that’s why the buffalo population dwindled would be a lie.

BUFFALO BONE CHINA

Although many people know about the fur trade, fewer understand its connection to bone china. Years after Grandma passed, I watched Dana Claxton’s 1997 video. It was titled Buffalo Bone China. Only then did I fully understand what Grandma meant when she said,“There are buffalo bones in my tea set.”

Intergenerational Metis Storytelling Bison Skull and bomes

Shot this photo at the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery
https://reddeermuseum.com/

Additionally, I’ve seen pictures of buffalo bones piled as high as two-story buildings. 2 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bison_skull_pile_edit.jpg ) They were transported by train. The bones were shipped throughout Canada and the USA. 3( https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/lenox-inc )

PERFORMANCE ART visual art with dramatic execution.

In Buffalo Bone China, Dana Claxton performs the devastating history of buffalo decimation. The black and white experimental video evokes the immense loss Indigenous Peoples experienced. 4 More specifically, it creatively details the historical use of crushed buffalo bones to make fine bone china ( https://www.danaclaxton.com/artwork/buffalo-bone-china ). 5

Intergenerational Metis Storytelling Bone china teapot with prairie rose pattern

By “creative”, during the performance, Claxton smashes porcelain into “itsy bittsy” pieces. With each strike of the mallet, she symbolizes repeated attacks on Indigenous lives. Eventually, Claxton pounds the china until the table beneath it collapses. The broken pieces crash to the floor. ( https://ahva.ubc.ca/events/event/dana-claxton-revisited/ )

How Art Highlights History and Reality

UBC’s Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory said this about Claxton. “Bison were slaughtered and their bones crushed and exported to England to make bone china. In the performance, Claxton smashes pieces of china and makes four bundles
( https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/health-and-medicine/sacred-bundles ) 6, placing the bundles in a sacred circle, while a video of buffalo plays in the background. ‘Feeling the loss of the buffalo, the backbone of Plains spirituality and sustenance, the artist uses a rubber mallet to destroy plates and bowls. In this way, her act directly references the exploitation and near-extermination of the buffalo and her people. ( https://ahva.ubc.ca/events/event/dana-claxton-revisited/ ) 7

COLONIAL POLICIES


Grandma continued her well-informed rant.

I must tell you somethin’ ‘suga plum’. Government policies had nothing to do with bone china; that was similar to a side hustle.
( https://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/13888.Buffalo%20Bone%20Picking.pdf ). 8 Instead, the purpose of killing off the bison was to conquer and control the Indians’ land at any cost. As a result, the buffalo paid the price, but so did all prairie people because it was the main source of food; this was especially true for the Indians.
One way the government did this was to encourage men to ride the trains and shoot buffalo after buffalo after buffalo. They riddled the prairies with bison bones. The land became a never ending grave yard. Ultimately, this would destroy the buffalo herds and cause severe suffering for N. America’s Indigenous Peoples.

In the final analysis, Dana Claxton’s art and Mary and her Metis Grandma both embody Intergenerational storytelling. When Grandma shares with Mary, history radiates from Grandma as though she is the sun or the moon. Through story, art, and truth, they intentionally pass knowledge from Elders to future generations.


I hope you found this post informative yet interesting, and will check back at ritajasperart.com
Thank you.
Rita Jasper

  1. Foster, J. E., (March 7, 2006) Buffalo Hunt, Near Extinction and Recovery. Retrieved November 2021 from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/buffalo-hunt ↩︎
  2. Wikipedia contributors. (2011, May 27). File: Bison skull pile edit.jpg – Wikipedia. Retrieved February 11th, 2026 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bison_skull_pile_edit.jpg ↩︎
  3. Bone china manufacturing in North America began on a commercial scale around the turn of the 20th century, primarily led by Lenox. While England dominated production from the 1790s onward, American manufacturers, notably Lenox in Trenton, New Jersey, began producing high-quality, translucent bone china in the early 1900s
    Lenox, Inc. | Encyclopedia.com. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11th 2026 https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/lenox-inc ↩︎
  4. Sadly, I cannot find the video anymore, but I found this image at Claxton’s website. Retrieved February 12, 2036 https://ahva.ubc.ca/events/event/dana-claxton-revisited/ ↩︎
  5. Buffalo Bone China — Dana Claxton. (n.d.). Dana Claxton. Retrieved August 12, 2025. https://www.danaclaxton.com/artwork/buffalo-bone-china ↩︎
  6. I don’t know if this is exactly what Claxton is referring to, but
    “… 
1) Sacred bundles are important cultural artifacts in many Indigenous American traditions, representing the spiritual power and medicine of their owners. These bundles, often wrapped in animal hides, contain a variety of objects that hold significant meaning, such as tobacco, feathers, and various ceremonial tools. They are believed to have supernatural abilities to aid in healing, attract love, …” 
Sacred bundles | Health and Medicine | Research Starters | EBSCO Research. (n.d.). EBSCO. Retrieved February 12, 2026 https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/health-and-medicine/sacred-bundles
2)
    2) “When we carry sacred items, we carry them with the recognition that everything in Creation has spirit, including the animals and plants, the rocks, the water, the moon and the stars. Even one feather of a bird has spirit. When we carry a feather in our bundle and use it for our personal prayers and in ceremony, we are calling on the spirit of that bird for help and guidance.”
    Sacred items and bundles – Anishnawbe Mushkiki. (2021, April 7). Anishnawbe Mushkiki. Retrieved February 12, 2026 https://mushkiki.com/programs-services/sacred-items-and-bundles/ ↩︎
  7. Dana Claxton; Revisited – Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory. (2021, August 16). Department of Art History Retrieved February 12, 2026 https://ahva.ubc.ca/events/event/dana-claxton-revisited/ ↩︎
  8. Besides selling bison bones for manufacturing bone china, the bones were processed into fertilizers, sugar refining, etc. First Nations, Metis and settlers collected bones to sell to railroad agents and agents of eastern manufacturing companies in the US and Canada during the late 19th century. The bones were shipped to industrial centres like Chicago, Detroit, and St. Louis for processing.
    Barkwell, L., Montana Historical Society, & Foster, M. (1989). Buffalo Bone picking. In S. Breilmeier (Ed.), Thunderstorms and Tumbleweeds 1887-1987 East Blaine County (p. 25). Blaine County Centennial Book Committee. Retrieved February 11th, 2026
    https://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/13888.Buffalo%20Bone%20Picking.pdf ↩︎

What did Grandma say about Pow Wows?

by Rita Jasper, posted in Mary and her Metis Grandma
Pow Wows dancer

This interview on Métis Matters Radio discusses a novel called Mary and Her Métis Grandma. This is a small snippet from a conversation between Grandma and her teenage Granddaughter. They talk about traditional Pow Wows when it was still illegal to celebrate in this manner.

Did you know Cannabis has nothing to do with Pow Wows?

Textbooks state that authorities only permitted Pow Wows after 1951, but Grandma attended one around 1915.

In Mary and Her Métis Grandma, we joke a little about cannabis—but don’t get confused, we’re not laughing it off. 
It’s one of those topics families talk about seriously, usually after the kettle’s been on a while. And in Indigenous communities, opinions can change from one kitchen to the next, depending on who raised you and how much patience they had. Each household has its own values, which are informed by different cultures and protocols.

This 2-minute interview on Métis Matters Radio discusses a novel called Mary and Her Métis Grandma. https://youtu.be/AYMbD3o_9FM?si=CIk8UAxs6srR2uhh

I talk about a conversation between Grandma and her teenage Granddaughter regarding similarities and differences between a party and a Pow Wow.

Spirituality and Healing with Plants

Here in Canada and probably other countries, cannabis wasn’t and isn’t a traditional plant in the pre-colonial sense; many Indigenous peoples have a history of using plant medicines and exploring their relationship to 1) health and 2) spirituality, which are both connected. They are linked through Spirit (our energy/aura), Soul (our connection to the higher power), mind, body, and emotions. Once you start pulling one of those strings, the whole bundle comes with it—it’s called balance.

Organizations like the First Nations Health Authority run awareness campaigns that focus on making informed choices around cannabis use, grounded in community values. This is especially true for youth as their brains are still developing. I personally believe that excessive use of any drug during or after traumas is questionable because any substance that numbs your feelings at those times clouds one’s ability to reflect on what happened and therefore prevents growth that could occur from the situation. People I’ve known who were and are AA attendees tell me that when they stopped drinking, they found themselves having to deal with those emotions, and it is hard for many reasons. But one factor is that time distorts and fades memory.

These days, organizations like the First Nations Health Authority encourage people to make informed choices about cannabis, especially young people whose brains are still growing. And here’s my two cents: using any substance too much—especially when your heart feels like it’s breaking—can slow your healing. Anything that numbs your feelings also mutes the lesson. I’ve known people who quit drinking and then discovered all those emotions were still waiting for them. That kind of catching up isn’t easy, but it’s necessary.

Legal Issues and Cannabis

Before cannabis was legalized, the laws around it landed harder on Indigenous peoples than on anyone else. Folks, regardless of race, used it about the same across the board, but somehow certain people got arrested a lot more often.1 Funny how that works? Some say those laws were also handy for silencing activists. I remember an old American hippie telling me that if someone was left-leaning politically, marijuana use was often an excuse to incarcerate those people. I can’t prove it—but I’ve lived long enough to raise an eyebrow, and I’ll take the old hippies word for it, and I’m sure this applies to Indigenous activists.

  1. Monkman, L. (2018, January 13). Is there a place for cannabis in First Nations culture? CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/is-there-a-place-for-cannabis-in-first-nations-culture-1.4485865 ↩︎

New Launch Date for Mary and her Metis Grandma

by Rita Jasper, posted in Mary and her Metis Grandma, Uncategorized

February 2026

Cover Art Coming soon!

Spider web in wilderness with rain drops

Spider web in wilderness. Photo
by Annie Spratt Hobbyist photographer.

https://unsplash.com/@anniespratt

It is still a mystery to me, but I wait with excited anticipation.

I don’t think my publisher (At Bay Press) will be using the red roses because the book talks about the Wild Rose, which is sometimes called the Prairie Rose (pink or fuchsia coloured). Either way, it is a flower with thorns. The current rose is a placeholder. I did send some image ideas, and a few that reminded me of Clarence Westcoup’s style (an Indigenous artist from Western Canada). I gave my publisher lots of ideas, so we will see what they do.

With that said, I’ve reduced the appendices from around 200 to under 100, but did not reduce the 500 endnotes; for the editor &/or book designer, these details can be daunting, but it does show extensive research. This is like looking at a beautiful yet complicated and silky spider web. 

Continue reading of find out why the spider web image is here.

My attentive and conscientious publisher, with their dedicated team, is working hard on the final and intricate copy. Using their spidey senses, they are proofreading edits as we speak. I expect their innovative artistic talents and imagination will result in a unique book design. 

My publisher has pushed the publication date to February, which is only 3 months away, to ensure the finished book is extraordinary. The team needs to carefully navigate my alluring spider web of information (appendices and endnotes). 

The reason I went to such lengths with secondary research is to cut off the deniers or racists before they can get started. Mary and her Metis Grandma is composed of my personal experiences, my Grandma’s memoirs, historical events and facts. All of which I backed up with secondary research, hence all those 500 endnotes. While this is an engaging auto and historical fiction novel, it is a good resource for encouraging young adults and some of us old fogies, to do our own research.

I thank each and every one of you for your much-appreciated patience. 

I am excited to soon be sharing the cover art. Heads up — I’m sure the cover is not a web. I liked the photo of the spider web for the analogy of the situation.

ritajasperart.com/category/mary-and-her-metis-grandma/

Click here if you want to download a PDF

Metis Matters Radio

by Rita Jasper, posted in Mary and her Metis Grandma, Uncategorized

Derrick Whiteskycloud very graciously took time out of his day to interview me and support the novel, Mary and her Metis Grandma. Thank you Derrick.

Mary and her Metis Grandma

This interview is about Mary and her Metis Grandma, which is a novel for readers 11-year-old uptown and beyond 80-year-olds. It is about a teen who has to go live with her Grandma who loves her very much. It talks about why I wrote the novel.

Mary and her Metis Grandma — segment from chapter 1

At the end of the interview, choose to watch the video Mary and her Metis Grandma — segment from chapter 1, which talks about a message Mary receives from her mother from the beyond.

Click here to listen to the radio interview

How to develop characters and situations for a story? The bus ride was just ducky.

by Rita Jasper, posted in Mary and her Metis Grandma

I took this picture on a Vancouver bus. In Mary and her Metis Grandma there is a chapter where the teen has to take a somewhat sick duck on the bus–something all teens would want to do? Right? Nope wrong. How to ad humoir with characters and situations to a story?

Grandma’s pet duck

I turned it into a story that I thought was sort of funny but probably not for the prissy people of the world. Besides the skill of riding on public transit busses the duck was smart enough to make friends with cats. Read on to find out what PPD stands for or go to the button below to read PDF.

I saw an Eagle

Most of the coasts or beaches in BC are beautiful, and this was no different. It included a river where salmon had gone to spawn, so there was plenty of food for birds, Seagulls, ducks and Eagles. In the distance, I saw an Eagle sitting in a tree, so I panned up from the river, through the trees to the Eagle and then up to the sky, but before I got to the sky, the eagle projectile pooped (PP). I calmly continued up and started to pan from the sky down to the eagle — what do you think the Eagle did? Yep! He went PP. I’m sure he was laughing at me. I deleted the video, but I should have kept it because it probably would have gone viral. For now, you can click the button below to read the PDF for a little more info — untill then you can wait for Masry and her Metis Grandma to be published.

Click here to read PDF

The bird, Hawk, is jelous of Canuck the Crow

by Rita Jasper, posted in Mary and her Metis Grandma

When I started writing Mary and her Metis Grandma, I wrote it for young people and then expanded it to include all ages. Some of the stories are emotionally difficult, so I have a character called Crow-Hawk. They tease each other and have interesting dialogue which gives readers a comedic break; this releases the readers from some of the intensity of the stories. When I’m in the throws of writing I’m always looking for interesting yet relevant pictures–low and behold the T-shirt.

Photo of a waitress wearing a T-shirt with an image of Canuck the crow.

Why Hawk is jeleous of a Crow Celebrity

The story goes that the Crow interrupted a crime by stealing a knife. Police gave chase to retrieve the weapon for evidence. The crow dropped the blade.  Hawk not wanting to be outdone by a crow, took it upon himself to protect some back alley paintings. Hawk wanted to be a hero too, at least for his friend Lady Crow. For a more details click the button below for a PDF with a snippet from the book Mary and her Metis Grandma.

What Hawk did to attract Ms. Lady Crow’s attention

I came up with the idea of Hawk becoming the guardian of paintings after one of my video research projects. The research was conducted after bars had closed in the notorious Hastings Street back alley; this is where I interviewed a man, who was the only person in the community gurardian. I videotaped him with my video camera & he recorded me with his cel phone. Many people were in the back alley but no one dared enter the garden. I suspect this person might have been a little dangerous.

Back to the book. Hawk would dive-bomb anyone who looked like they might vandalize the paintings. Dive-bombing wasnt Lady Crow’s prefered activity but had to go along for the nose-dives because they were joined a long time ago. For a more details click the button below for a PDF with a snippet from the book Mary and her Metis Grandma.

click here to read more details

Violence & Questions about Police Inactivity

by Rita Jasper, posted in Mary and her Metis Grandma, Murdered and Missing
  1. I start the PDF with a snippet/synopsis from the novel, Mary and her Metis Grandma, when they witness a young sex trade worker being thrown from a car.
  2. Next I include some serious questions that Kelly White, a forever activist, asks about Police inactivity.

Victim consoles another

Our friend Magdalina was very upset and ran to comfort the girl who worked in the sex trade. The victim was scrambling to get out of the intersection but she was happy that she made it back to the hood alive and that she had a squat at an abandoned building. Magdalena starts to hear voices after witnessing the vilence.

View of Hastings and Main from the Carnegie second floor
Window View of Hastings and Main Street.
Please click here to read complete PDF

Kelly asks important questions

Police inactivity

To watch video please click here