Rita Joe
| Rita Joe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rita Bernard March 15, 1932 Whycocomagh, Nova Scotia |
| Died | March 20, 2007 (aged 75) Sydney, Nova Scotia |
| Occupation | Poetry |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Ethnicity | Mi'kmaw |
| Genre | Poetry, Memoir |
| Notable awards | National Aboriginal Achievement Award, 1987; Member of the Order of Canada, 1989; Queen's Privy Council for Canada, 1992; Poet Laureate of the Mi'kmaq people |
| Spouse | Frank Joe |
| Children | Eight children; adopted two boys |
Rita Joe, PC CM (March 15, 1932 – March 20, 2007) was a Mi'kmaw poet and songwriter, often referred to as the Poet Laureate of the Mi'kmaq people.
Born Rita Bernard in Whycocomagh, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, she was the youngest surviving daughter of Joseph (Josie) Gould Bernard and Annie (Googoo) Bernard. In 1942, she was orphaned.
In 1978, her first book, The Poems of Rita Joe was published. Over her lifetime she published six other books, including the autobiographical Song of Rita Joe,in which the poet outlined some of her experiences at the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School.
In 1989, Joe was made a Member of the Order of Canada; in 1992, she was called to the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, and she is one of the few non-politicians ever appointed.
She married Frank Joe in 1954. They had eight children and adopted two boys. In the years before her death, Joe suffered from Parkinson's disease.
Each year, Allison Bernard Memorial High School in Eskasoni First Nation, Nova Scotia, holds a literacy day in Rita Joe's honour, with the "hope that students would be inspired to read, write, and create their own stories" and revitalize the Mi'kmaq language. The first Rita Joe Memorial Literacy Day was held in 2012. Festivities include a writing contest for students and visits and workshops from professional writers and artists.
Inspired by Rita Joe's poem, "I Lost My Talk," and her challenge for indigenous youth to "find their voices, share their stories, and celebrate their talents," Canada's National Arts Centre launched the Rita Joe National Song project. The project called on youth from five First Nations' communities in Canada to write, record, and create a music video for a song based on Joe's poem. The videos were debuted along with the premiere of the National Arts Centre Orchestra's "Spirit Prevails," also based on Joe's poem, in January, 2016, in Ottawa. Reviewing the NACO's multimedia performance, Natasha Gautier stated, "The writing is eminently accessible but never simplistic or condescending. [Composer John] Estacio has a wonderful sense of orchestration, evocative but not cliché."
...
Wikipedia