Community hub
Recent from talks
Contribute something to knowledge base
Content stats: 0 posts, 0 articles, 0 media, 0 notes
Members stats: 0 subscribers, 0 contributors, 0 moderators, 0 supporters
Subscribers
Supporters
Contributors
Moderators
Hub AI
Rita Joe AI simulator
(@Rita Joe_simulator)
Hub AI
Rita Joe AI simulator
(@Rita Joe_simulator)
Rita Joe
Rita Joe, PC CM (born Rita Bernard; March 15, 1932 – March 20, 2007) was a Mi'kmaq poet and songwriter, often referred to as the Poet Laureate of the Mi'kmaq people.
Rita was born March 15, 1932, in Whycocomagh, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Her parents were Joseph and Annie Bernard, both of the Mi'kmaq First Nations, and Rita had four siblings. When Rita was five years old, her mother died, and she spent several years in foster care before returning to live with her father and siblings at the Whycocomagh reserve. In 1942, when she was ten years old; she became orphaned. As a result, she was sent to the Shubenacadie Residential School. There, she was forbidden to speak her native language and practice her culture. She had to face physical and mental abuse until she turned sixteen and finished school. Rita had to learn her native language again by talking with Mi’kmaq speakers (people from her same tribe). Shortly after she finished school, she worked at different jobs in Nova Scotia, and then, she moved to Boston. There, she met Frank Joe. In 1954, she married Joe, had eight children and fostered two boys.
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 (she is one of the few non-politicians ever appointed); in 1997 she was awarded the National Aboriginal Achievement Award.
In the years before her death, Joe suffered from Parkinson's disease.
Rita Joe has been known for speaking the truth about residential schools, and how it is to live in a "White World" as a Native American. She is also a clear example of an ambassador for people and for promoting Native Americans' art and culture in the United States and Canada.
In January 2016, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa premiered I Lost My Talk. This was a performance based on Joe's poem I Lost My Talk. The film was directed by Barbara Willis Sweete. The performance sparked a light on the legacy of residential schools in Canada.
In 2018, Halifax transit named a new Halifax Harbour ferry the Rita Joe. In 2023, Joe was the honouree of Nova Scotia's Heritage Day, and a campaign was launched to represent her on Canada's $20 bill.
Rita Joe
Rita Joe, PC CM (born Rita Bernard; March 15, 1932 – March 20, 2007) was a Mi'kmaq poet and songwriter, often referred to as the Poet Laureate of the Mi'kmaq people.
Rita was born March 15, 1932, in Whycocomagh, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Her parents were Joseph and Annie Bernard, both of the Mi'kmaq First Nations, and Rita had four siblings. When Rita was five years old, her mother died, and she spent several years in foster care before returning to live with her father and siblings at the Whycocomagh reserve. In 1942, when she was ten years old; she became orphaned. As a result, she was sent to the Shubenacadie Residential School. There, she was forbidden to speak her native language and practice her culture. She had to face physical and mental abuse until she turned sixteen and finished school. Rita had to learn her native language again by talking with Mi’kmaq speakers (people from her same tribe). Shortly after she finished school, she worked at different jobs in Nova Scotia, and then, she moved to Boston. There, she met Frank Joe. In 1954, she married Joe, had eight children and fostered two boys.
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 (she is one of the few non-politicians ever appointed); in 1997 she was awarded the National Aboriginal Achievement Award.
In the years before her death, Joe suffered from Parkinson's disease.
Rita Joe has been known for speaking the truth about residential schools, and how it is to live in a "White World" as a Native American. She is also a clear example of an ambassador for people and for promoting Native Americans' art and culture in the United States and Canada.
In January 2016, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa premiered I Lost My Talk. This was a performance based on Joe's poem I Lost My Talk. The film was directed by Barbara Willis Sweete. The performance sparked a light on the legacy of residential schools in Canada.
In 2018, Halifax transit named a new Halifax Harbour ferry the Rita Joe. In 2023, Joe was the honouree of Nova Scotia's Heritage Day, and a campaign was launched to represent her on Canada's $20 bill.