Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm
Encyclopedia
Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm is an Anishinaabe
writer of mixed ancestry from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation. She lives and works at Neyaashiinigmiing, Cape Croker Reserve on the Saugeen Peninsula in southwestern Ontario
, and in Ottawa
.
A cultural worker with an activist bent, Kateri has initiated many important projects on behalf of Indigenous
writers of Turtle Island (North America)
and active collaborations with artists and publishers in Aotearoa
/New Zealand
and Australia
. A spoken word artist
and literary performer as well as poet, writer, editor, and communications consultant, Ms. Akiwenzie-Damm works both behind the scenes and before live audiences.
In 1993, she established Kegedonce Press
, one of very few literary publishing houses devoted to indigenous writers. It continues to produce anthologies and single author books of distinction. Acclaimed Canadian authors Basil H. Johnston
(Ojibway), Marilyn Dumont (Métis) and Gregory Scofield (Métis
) are among those who have published books through Kegedonce Press. She is both founder and managing editor of the press.
Akiwenzie-Damm has edited two anthologies: skins: Contemporary indigenous writing (2000, with Josie Douglas), and Without Reservation: Indigenous Erotica (2003). These offer works drawn from a variety of Indigenous cultures and artistic traditions from Canada, the United States, Hawaii, Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand. Each anthology is co-published with another Indigenous press from the southern hemisphere. She also came up with the concept, initiated, and advocated internationally for support for Honouring Words: International Indigenous Authors Celebration Tour. This was an international event involving indigenous authors from Canada, US, Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand. The first, and most successful, of the three international tours was also organized by Akiwenzie-Damm.
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
writer of mixed ancestry from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation. She lives and works at Neyaashiinigmiing, Cape Croker Reserve on the Saugeen Peninsula in southwestern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
A cultural worker with an activist bent, Kateri has initiated many important projects on behalf of Indigenous
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
writers of Turtle Island (North America)
Turtle Island (North America)
Turtle Island is a term used by several Northeastern Woodland Native American tribes, especially the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy, for the continent of North America.-Iroquois:...
and active collaborations with artists and publishers in Aotearoa
Aotearoa
Aotearoa is the most widely known and accepted Māori name for New Zealand. It is used by both Māori and non-Māori, and is becoming increasingly widespread in the bilingual names of national organisations, such as the National Library of New Zealand / Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa.-Translation:The...
/New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. A spoken word artist
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
and literary performer as well as poet, writer, editor, and communications consultant, Ms. Akiwenzie-Damm works both behind the scenes and before live audiences.
In 1993, she established Kegedonce Press
Kegedonce Press
Kegedonce Press is an Aboriginal publishing house in Neyaashiinigmiing Reserve No. 27 , Ontario, Canada, owned by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm...
, one of very few literary publishing houses devoted to indigenous writers. It continues to produce anthologies and single author books of distinction. Acclaimed Canadian authors Basil H. Johnston
Basil H. Johnston
Basil H. Johnston O.Ont, Anishinaabe writer, storyteller, language teacher and scholar, was born on the Wasauksing First Nation in Ontario, Canada, on July 13, 1929, to Mary and Rufus Johnston...
(Ojibway), Marilyn Dumont (Métis) and Gregory Scofield (Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
) are among those who have published books through Kegedonce Press. She is both founder and managing editor of the press.
Akiwenzie-Damm has edited two anthologies: skins: Contemporary indigenous writing (2000, with Josie Douglas), and Without Reservation: Indigenous Erotica (2003). These offer works drawn from a variety of Indigenous cultures and artistic traditions from Canada, the United States, Hawaii, Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand. Each anthology is co-published with another Indigenous press from the southern hemisphere. She also came up with the concept, initiated, and advocated internationally for support for Honouring Words: International Indigenous Authors Celebration Tour. This was an international event involving indigenous authors from Canada, US, Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand. The first, and most successful, of the three international tours was also organized by Akiwenzie-Damm.
As editor
- Skins: Contemporary Indigenous Writing with Josie Douglas; Cape Croker Reserve, ON: Kegedonce Press. Co-published with Aboriginal Australian publisher, Jukurrpa Books. 2000.
- Without Reservation: Indigenous Erotica; Cape Croker Reserve, ON: Kegedonce Press. Co-published with Hula Publishers, Wellington, Aotearoa/New Zealand. 2003.
CDs
Standing Ground with The Nishin Spoken Word Project, Nishin Productions, Cape Croker Reserve, ON. 2003. A Constellation of Bones, in collaboration with various artists.See also
- List of writers from peoples indigenous to the Americas
- Native American StudiesNative American StudiesNative American Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that examines the history, culture, politics, issues and contemporary experience of Native peoples in North America, or, taking a hemispheric approach, the Americas...