Description
Dennis Saddleman is from the Nlaka’pamux Nation on his mother’s side and the Syilx Nation on his father’s side. He attended the Kamloops Indian Residential School for 11 years. His biggest achievements are that he has been sober for 44 years and that he published a book of poetry titled Word Warrior. His family and friends call him Word Warrior.
Dorene Bernard Kesalul tan teli L’nuwey, Kiwnik Clan, Sipekne’katik, Mi’kmaki. She is a traditional Mi’kmaq woman of the Sipekne’katik Band, residing in Indian Brook, N.S. She is a Survivor of the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School, the third generation in her family to attend. Dorene coordinated the IRS Legacy Project at Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre, working with survivors and families in the Atlantic region to document the history of the IRS legacy and survivors’ profiles for the archives, which she continues to do.
Dr. Antoine Mountain was sent to three residential schools, including the notorious Grollier Hall in Inuvik, where many well-documented atrocities against Indigenous children occurred. The reason he chose to be part of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation’s Survivors Circle is his concern for today’s youth. Indigenous communities face serious social problems, and Antoine wants to help increase awareness of them. Antoine earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from OCAD U, a Master of Environmental Studies from York University in Toronto, and a doctorate from Trent University.
Eugene Arcand is Cree from Muskeg Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan. Eugene Arcand spent nine years at St. Michael Indian Residential School in Duck Lake and two years at St. Paul’s Lebret Students Residence. A First Nations Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Eugene has dedicated much of his time to organising First Nations sports events, cultural events, tourism events, and events geared to the advancement of First Nations youth.
Keith Chiefmoon is part of the Governing Circle of the NCTR. Keith is a Ga’na (Kainai) Sundance teacher and the Indian Residential School Program and Community Engagement Worker for the Kainai Wellness Center of the Blood Tribe of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Keith has been addiction-free for the past four decades and successfully completed a BA in Native American Studies, a BEd in Social Studies and Indigenous Education, and an MA in Administration and Supervision.
Cartoons: Everett Soop was a a gifted writer, artist, and illustrator. A member of the Kainai First Nation, he was a critic of native issues at the local and federal levels. He expressed his opinions in cartoons and essays published in the Kainai News and many other native and non-native publications.
Foreword Writer. Stephanie Scott, Anishinaabe from Roseau River First Nation. She was born and raised in Winnipeg, and was adopted out as part of the Sixties Scoop. She is the Executive Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR). She oversees the Centre’s comprehensive efforts to honour the experiences of residential school Survivors, continue the legacy of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), and foster reconciliation through education and understanding.
These are voices that have lived what others are still learning to understand. In Upon a Wishing Moon: Stories, Poems, & Images, Dennis Saddleman, Dorene Bernard, Dr. Antoine Mountain, Keith Chiefmoon and Eugene Arcand share work shaped by experience and reflection. As members of the Governing and Survivors Circles of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, they carry stories that are both deeply personal and woven into the wider truth this country continues to face. Through words and images, this collection invites readers to listen closely—not only to what is said, but to what continues to endure, and to what may still be wished for. Also included are searing political cartoons by Everett Soop. Foreword is by NCTR Executive Director, Stephanie Scott. This book contains 20 Black & white illustrations.