Season 4, Episode
17
My guests this week are Saqamaw (Chief) Mi’sel Joe and Sheila O’Neill, the co-authors of My Indian published by Breakwater Books. Not only have they contributed to the creation of this book but they are each, in their own capacities, leaders dedicated to the empowerment of the Mi’kmaq First People in Newfoundland and Labrador.
My Indian tells the story of Sylvester Joe, the Mi’kmaw guide who was engaged by William Epps Cormack in 1822 to walk across Newfoundland to find the last remaining Beothuk camps on the island.
This book is written as historical fiction, and endeavours to describe the man that Cormack referred to as “My Indian.” While very little is known about Sylvester Joe beyond Cormack’s journal, A Journey Across the Island in 1822, the authors incorporate his character into an established historical and geographical timeline. In keeping with the strong oral history of kinship between the Mi’kmaq and Beothuk Nations, the book supports the authors’ premise that Sylvester Joe worked against Cormack while on the journey, and in fact guided Cormack away from the Beothuk.
MI’SEL JOE
Saqamaw (Chief) Mi’sel Joe, LLD, CM, is the author of Muinji’j Becomes a Man and An Aboriginal Chief’s Journey. He has been the District Traditional Chief of Miawpukek First Nation since 1983, appointed by the late Grand Chief, Donald Marshall.
In May 2004, Chief Joe was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, by Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador in recognition of his contribution to the economic, social, and political development of the Mi’kmaq of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In 2014, Chief Joe began working on repatriation of the Beothuk remains of Nonosabasut and Demasduit, from the National Museum of Scotland, which had been taken from their graves in Red Indian Lake in 1828 by William Cormack. These sacred remains were successfully repatriated back to Canada in March 2020 and are currently housed in The Rooms in St. John’s until they can be moved to their final resting place.
In January 2018 Chief Joe was awarded the Order of Canada for his outstanding leadership in developing and enhancing the well-being and financial vitality of Miawpukek First Nation. He is considered the Spiritual Chief of the Mi’kmaq of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Sheila O’Neill is from Kippens, NL, and is a member of Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation. Sheila is a mother and grandmother and has a solid background in Indigenous issues and post-secondary education. Sheila is a Drum Carrier and carries many teachings passed down by respected Elders. As a founding member and past President of the Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network (NAWN), she has been part of a grassroots movement of empowerment of Indigenous women within the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador. Throughout her extensive career as an educator, Sheila has worked as a Communications Instructor with College of the North Atlantic (CNA) both in Newfoundland and Labrador and at CNA’s campus in Doha, Qatar, in the Middle East.
Sheila holds a Bachelor of Arts (English) and Bachelor of Education, both from Memorial University. She currently lives in St. John’s.
JERRY EVANS (Cover Art)
Of this land, Jerry Evans is a Mi’kmaq artist born and raised in central Newfoundland. Graduating from NSCAD with a Bachelor of Fine Art in 1986, he has been creating and working as a professional visual artist for over 30 years. In addition to his training in fine arts, Jerry has been dedicated to the cultural preservation, reclamation, and continued growth of Indigenous communities across Ktaqamkuk Newfoundland) and the Big Land (Labrador). Jerry works primarily as a painter and printmaker but also brings together his experience in film, design, and traditional hand poke tattooing to reach beyond Western ideologies as a means of expression and gift exchange.