Basil H. Johnston Explained

Basil Johnston
Birth Date:13 July 1929
Birth Place:Parry Island Indian Reserve
Death Place:Wiarton, Ontario
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Awards:Order of Ontario, Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour

Basil H. Johnston (13 July 1929 – 8 September 2015) was an Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) and Canadian writer, storyteller, language teacher and scholar.

Biography

Johnston was born July 13, 1929, on the Parry Island Indian Reserve to Rufus and Mary (Lafrenière) Johnston.[1] [2] He was a member of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, formerly Cape Croker (Neyaashiinigmiing), in the Bruce Peninsula.[3] [4]

Johnston was educated in reserve schools in Cape Croker and later sent, along with his sister Marilyn, to residential school in Spanish, Ontario. He wrote about his experience as a student at St. Peter Claver School for Boys in his 1988 book Indian School Days.[5] After graduating high school as class valedictorian, he earned his B.A. with Honours from Loyola College (1954) and a high school teaching certificate from the Ontario College of Education (1962).[6] In 1959, Johnston married Lucie Desroches, with whom he had three children – Miriam, Tibby and Geoffery.

Johnston died in 2015 at Wiarton, Ontario. Before his death he donated his papers, including photographs, correspondence and manuscripts to the McMaster University Library for use by researchers in the William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections.[7]

Teaching

Johnston taught high school at Earl Haig Secondary School in North York, Ontario, from 1962 to 1969, before taking a position in the Ethnology Department of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.[8] Part of his focus during his 25 years with the museum was the regeneration of the language, values and beliefs of Anishinaabe heritage.[9] He developed an extensive series of Ojibwa language courses on tape and in print, believing that traditional language education was essential to understanding Indigenous culture. In the 1990 essay "One Generation From Extinction"[10] he examined the essential role Indigenous language and literature play in restoring lost "Indianness". Of the impacts of lost language he explains:

Writing

Johnston wrote extensively in both English and Ojibwa. Though he went on to publish numerous books, articles and poems, publishing companies were initially reluctant to release Johnston's work.[11] While publishers recognized the authenticity of his writing, they questioned whether there was a market for it. His first book Ojibway Heritage was published in 1976 thanks to the support of Jack McClelland and Anna Porter of McClelland & Stewart. In 1978 Porter proved equally instrumental, fighting for the publication of Johnston's second book, Moose Meat and Wild Rice, after a McClelland & Stewart editor suggested the publisher pass on the title, in part, because stories of its kind were "currently passé."[12] The book, which was nominated for a Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, comprised 22 fictional short-stories and offered satirical comment about the relationship between Indigenous peoples, government officials and the nature of acculturation.[13]

Awards

Johnston was honoured with numerous awards for his work in preserving Ojibwa language and culture in addition to Honorary Doctorates from the University of Toronto, Laurentian University and Brandon University.[14]

Bibliography

Filmography

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Stoffman. Judy. Writer Basil Johnston paved way for First Nations literature. 8 March 2016. The Globe and Mail. 26 September 2015.
  2. Book: New. William H.. Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada. 2002. University of Toronto Press. 9780802007612. 555. 5 November 2016. en.
  3. Web site: Ontario Regional Chief Offers Condolences to the Family of Author and Educator Basil Johnston. www.chiefs-of-ontario.org. Chiefs of Ontario. 28 October 2016. 10 September 2015.
  4. Web site: Robertson. Becky. Anishnaabe author Basil H. Johnston dies at 86 . quillandquire.com. Quill and Quire. 28 October 2016. 11 September 2015.
  5. Web site: Edwards. Brendan F.R.. Basil H. Johnston. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. 28 October 2016.
  6. Book: Petrone. Penny. Benson. Eugene. Toye. William. The Oxford companion to Canadian literature. 2006. Oxford Univ. Press. Oxford. 9780195411676. 2..
  7. News: Nolan. Daniel. Ojibwa author Johnson donates papers to McMaster. 4 November 2016. Hamilton Spectator. 26 September 2013.
  8. News: Fitzgerald. Judith. Johnston avoids Indian stereotypes: An Ojibway writes about his own. The Globe & Mail. 16 July 1983. Toronto. .
  9. News: Anishinabek remember storyteller Basil Johnston. 29 March 2016. Anishinabek News. 10 September 2015.
  10. Book: Johnston. Basil H.. New. William H.. Native writers and Canadian writing Canadian literature special issue. 1990. UBC Press. Vancouver [B.C.]. 0774803703. Special issue, reprinted.. One Generation from Extinction.
  11. Edwards, Brendan F.R. (2009) "Deemed 'authentic': Basil H. Johnston. Historical Perspectives on Canadian Publishing. http://hpcanpub.mcmaster.ca/hpcanpub/case-study/deemed-authentic-basil-h-johnston Accessed June 25, 2017
  12. Meilie. Dianne. Basil Johnston Editor wrote 'Indians are passe' on author's manuscript. Windspeaker. 2015. 33. 7. 26. 8 March 2016.
  13. Book: Petrone. S. Penny. Benson. Eugene. Conolly. L.W.. Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English. 2004. Routledge. 9781134468485. 5 November 2016. en.
  14. News: Langlois. Denis. Esteemed Anishinaabe author Basil Johnston dies. 8 March 2016. Wiarton Echo. wiartonecho.com. 10 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923165201/http://www.wiartonecho.com/2015/09/10/esteemed-anishinaabe-author-basil-johnston-dies. 2015-09-23. dead.
  15. News: Nineteen honored With Order of Ontario. The Globe & Mail. 19 April 1989. Toronto. .
  16. Web site: Basil Johnston receives 2013 Ontario Arts Council Aboriginal Arts Award. www.arts.on.ca. 28 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160628162728/http://www.arts.on.ca/Page5092.aspx. 28 June 2016. dead.
  17. Web site: Brown. Lynne. Sacred Fire. In Memorium. Basil H. Johnston 1929–2015 SaultOnline.com. saultonline.com. 28 October 2016.
  18. Web site: Switzer. Maurice. Basil Johnston could tell – and write – stories. BayToday.ca. 28 October 2016.

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