Tomson Highway
Encyclopedia
Tomson Highway, CM
(born December 5, 1951) is a celebrated Canadian and Cree
playwright
, novelist, and children's author. He is the author of the plays The Rez Sisters
and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
, both of which won him the Dora Mavor Moore Award
and the Floyd S. Chalmers Award.
Highway has also published a novel, Kiss of the Fur Queen
(1998), which is based on the events that led to his brother René Highway
’s death of AIDS
. He also has the distinction of being the librettist of the first Cree language opera, The Journey or Pimooteewin.
, Manitoba
in 1951 to Pelagie Highway, a bead-worker and quilt-maker, and Joe Highway, a caribou hunter and champion dogsled racer. He is related to actor/playwight Billy Merasty
. From age six to fifteen, he attended Guy Hill Indian Residential School where he was sexually abused by the priests who ran the school. This deeply affected Highway's later work, as well as that of his brother, René.
He obtained his B.A. in Music
Honours in 1975 and his B.A. in English
in 1976, both from the University of Western Ontario
. While working on his degree, he met playwright James Reaney
. For seven years, Highway worked as a social worker on reserves across Ontario
and Canada
. Subsequently, he turned the knowledge and experience gained by working in these places into novels and plays that have won him widespread recognition across Canada and around the world.
In 1986, he published the multiple-award winning play The Rez Sisters
. The Rez Sisters
became a hit across Canada
and went on to the Edinburgh International Festival
in 1988. In 1989, he published Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
, which received the distinction of the being the first Canadian play to receive a full production at Toronto
's Royal Alexandra Theatre
. Both of these plays focus on the native community on a fictional reserve of Wasychigan Hill on Manitoulin Island
. The Rez Sisters
depicts seven women of the community planning a trip to the "BIGGEST BINGO IN THE WORLD" in Toronto and features a male trickster
, called Nanabush; while Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
depicts the men's interest in hockey
and features a female trickster
. Rose
, written in 2000, is the third play in the heptalogy, featuring characters from both of the previous plays.
He was artistic director of Native Earth Performing Arts
in Toronto from 1986 to 1992, as well as De-ba-jeh-mu-jig theatre group in Wikwemikong.
Frustrated with difficulties presented by play
production, Highway turned his focus to a novel called Kiss of the Fur Queen
. The novel presents an uncompromising portrait of the sexual abuse
of Native
children in residential schools and its traumatic consequences. Like his plays, Kiss of the Fur Queen
won a number of awards and spent several weeks on top of Canadian bestseller lists.
After a 10-year hiatus from play writing, Highway wrote Enestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout in 2005. Set in 1910, the play revolves around the visit of the "Big Kahoona of Canada
" (then Prime Minister
Wilfred Laurier) to the Thompson River Valley.
In 2010, Highway re-published The Rez Sisters and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing in Cree. Highway stated that "the Cree versions [...] are actually the original versions. As it turns out, the original ones that came out 20 years ago were the translation."
In 1994, he was made a member of the Order of Canada
. In 2000, Maclean's named him as one of the 100 most important people in Canadian history. Cree
is his first language. In 2001, he received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the field of arts and culture.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born December 5, 1951) is a celebrated Canadian and Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, novelist, and children's author. He is the author of the plays The Rez Sisters
The Rez Sisters
The Rez Sisters is a two act play by Cree Canadian writer Tomson Highway, first performed on November 26, 1986 by Act IV Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts....
and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing is a play by Tomson Highway, which premiered in 1989 at Theatre Passe-Muraille in Toronto.Set in the fictional Wasaychigan Hill reserve in Northern Ontario, Dry Lips is a companion piece to Highway's earlier play The Rez Sisters...
, both of which won him the Dora Mavor Moore Award
Dora Mavor Moore Award
The Dora Mavor Moore Award is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance, and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped establish Canadian professional theatre, the award was established on December 13, 1978...
and the Floyd S. Chalmers Award.
Highway has also published a novel, Kiss of the Fur Queen
Kiss of the Fur Queen
Kiss of the Fur Queen is a novel by Tomson Highway. It was first published by Doubleday Canada in September 1998.The novel's main characters are Champion and Ooneemeetoo Okimasis, two young Cree brothers from northern Manitoba who are taken from their family and sent to a residential school...
(1998), which is based on the events that led to his brother René Highway
René Highway
René Highway was a Canadian dancer and actor of Cree descent from Brochet, Manitoba. He was the brother of playwright Tomson Highway, with whom he frequently collaborated during their time at Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto, and the partner of actor and singer Micah Barnes.Highway studied...
’s death of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. He also has the distinction of being the librettist of the first Cree language opera, The Journey or Pimooteewin.
Biography
Tomson Highway was born in BrochetBrochet, Manitoba
Brochet is an unincorporated community located in Northern Manitoba near the Saskatchewan border . There is no year round road service to the mostly Cree people. A winter road is in place only a few months a year. Air service at Brochet Airport is the main link outside the community...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
in 1951 to Pelagie Highway, a bead-worker and quilt-maker, and Joe Highway, a caribou hunter and champion dogsled racer. He is related to actor/playwight Billy Merasty
Billy Merasty
Billy Merasty is a Canadian actor and writer of Cree descent. He moved to Toronto at the age of 17, and launched his acting career after attending a theatre school program for aboriginal youth....
. From age six to fifteen, he attended Guy Hill Indian Residential School where he was sexually abused by the priests who ran the school. This deeply affected Highway's later work, as well as that of his brother, René.
He obtained his B.A. in Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
Honours in 1975 and his B.A. in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in 1976, both from the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
. While working on his degree, he met playwright James Reaney
James Reaney
James Crerar Reaney was an influential Canadian poet, playwright, librettist, and professor, "whose works transform small-town Ontario life into the realm of dream and symbol."...
. For seven years, Highway worked as a social worker on reserves across 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 Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Subsequently, he turned the knowledge and experience gained by working in these places into novels and plays that have won him widespread recognition across Canada and around the world.
In 1986, he published the multiple-award winning play The Rez Sisters
The Rez Sisters
The Rez Sisters is a two act play by Cree Canadian writer Tomson Highway, first performed on November 26, 1986 by Act IV Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts....
. The Rez Sisters
The Rez Sisters
The Rez Sisters is a two act play by Cree Canadian writer Tomson Highway, first performed on November 26, 1986 by Act IV Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts....
became a hit across Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and went on to the Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around the middle of August. By invitation from the Festival Director, the International Festival brings top class performers of music , theatre, opera...
in 1988. In 1989, he published Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing is a play by Tomson Highway, which premiered in 1989 at Theatre Passe-Muraille in Toronto.Set in the fictional Wasaychigan Hill reserve in Northern Ontario, Dry Lips is a companion piece to Highway's earlier play The Rez Sisters...
, which received the distinction of the being the first Canadian play to receive a full production at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's Royal Alexandra Theatre
Royal Alexandra Theatre
The Royal Alexandra Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada located near King and Simcoe Streets. Built in 1907, the Royal Alex is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in North America.-History:...
. Both of these plays focus on the native community on a fictional reserve of Wasychigan Hill on Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario. It is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and...
. The Rez Sisters
The Rez Sisters
The Rez Sisters is a two act play by Cree Canadian writer Tomson Highway, first performed on November 26, 1986 by Act IV Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts....
depicts seven women of the community planning a trip to the "BIGGEST BINGO IN THE WORLD" in Toronto and features a male trickster
Trickster
In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. It is suggested by Hansen that the term "Trickster" was probably first used in this...
, called Nanabush; while Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing is a play by Tomson Highway, which premiered in 1989 at Theatre Passe-Muraille in Toronto.Set in the fictional Wasaychigan Hill reserve in Northern Ontario, Dry Lips is a companion piece to Highway's earlier play The Rez Sisters...
depicts the men's interest in hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
and features a female trickster
Trickster
In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. It is suggested by Hansen that the term "Trickster" was probably first used in this...
. Rose
Rose (play)
Rose is a play by Tomson Highway, which premiered on January 31, 1999, at the University of Toronto.Set on the fictional Wasaychigan Hill reserve on Manitoulin Island, Rose is the third play in Highway's 'Rez Cycle,' following The Rez Sisters and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing...
, written in 2000, is the third play in the heptalogy, featuring characters from both of the previous plays.
He was artistic director of Native Earth Performing Arts
Native Earth Performing Arts
Native Earth Performing Arts is a Canadian theatre company located in Toronto. Founded in 1982, it is the oldest professional Aboriginal performing arts company in Canada...
in Toronto from 1986 to 1992, as well as De-ba-jeh-mu-jig theatre group in Wikwemikong.
Frustrated with difficulties presented by play
Play
Play may refer to:* Play , enjoyment by animals including humans* Play , structured literary form of theatre-Bands:* Play , Mexican band* Play , Swedish band-Albums:...
production, Highway turned his focus to a novel called Kiss of the Fur Queen
Kiss of the Fur Queen
Kiss of the Fur Queen is a novel by Tomson Highway. It was first published by Doubleday Canada in September 1998.The novel's main characters are Champion and Ooneemeetoo Okimasis, two young Cree brothers from northern Manitoba who are taken from their family and sent to a residential school...
. The novel presents an uncompromising portrait of the sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
of Native
Native
The term "native" can have many different social and political connotations in different contexts. In some cases it is a neutral, descriptive term, for example, when stating that one is a native of a particular city or that a certain language is one's native language...
children in residential schools and its traumatic consequences. Like his plays, Kiss of the Fur Queen
Kiss of the Fur Queen
Kiss of the Fur Queen is a novel by Tomson Highway. It was first published by Doubleday Canada in September 1998.The novel's main characters are Champion and Ooneemeetoo Okimasis, two young Cree brothers from northern Manitoba who are taken from their family and sent to a residential school...
won a number of awards and spent several weeks on top of Canadian bestseller lists.
After a 10-year hiatus from play writing, Highway wrote Enestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout in 2005. Set in 1910, the play revolves around the visit of the "Big Kahoona of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
" (then Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Wilfred Laurier) to the Thompson River Valley.
In 2010, Highway re-published The Rez Sisters and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing in Cree. Highway stated that "the Cree versions [...] are actually the original versions. As it turns out, the original ones that came out 20 years ago were the translation."
Awards and Recognition
Highway has been awarded eight honorary degrees from Brandon University, the University of Winnipeg, the University of Western Ontario (London), the University of Windsor, Laurentian University (Sudbury, Ontario), Lakehead University (Thunder Bay, Ontario), l'Universite de Montreal, and the University of Toronto. In addition, he holds two "equivalents" of such honours: from The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and The National Theatre School in Montreal.In 1994, he was made a member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. In 2000, Maclean's named him as one of the 100 most important people in Canadian history. Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
is his first language. In 2001, he received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the field of arts and culture.
Plays
- New Song...New Dance - 1986
- Aria - 1987
- The Rez SistersThe Rez SistersThe Rez Sisters is a two act play by Cree Canadian writer Tomson Highway, first performed on November 26, 1986 by Act IV Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts....
- first produced 1986; toured nationally 1988 (nominated for a Governor General's Award1988 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1988 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $5000 dollars and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners and nominees were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:...
; won Dora Mavor Moore AwardDora Mavor Moore AwardThe Dora Mavor Moore Award is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance, and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped establish Canadian professional theatre, the award was established on December 13, 1978...
for Best New Play 1986-87) - Annie and the Old One - 1989
- The Sage, the Dancer, and The Fool - 1989
- Dry Lips Oughta Move to KapuskasingDry Lips Oughta Move to KapuskasingDry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing is a play by Tomson Highway, which premiered in 1989 at Theatre Passe-Muraille in Toronto.Set in the fictional Wasaychigan Hill reserve in Northern Ontario, Dry Lips is a companion piece to Highway's earlier play The Rez Sisters...
- 1989 (nominated for a Governor General's Award1989 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1989 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $5000 dollars and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners and nominees were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:...
; won 4 Dora Mavor Moore AwardDora Mavor Moore AwardThe Dora Mavor Moore Award is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance, and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped establish Canadian professional theatre, the award was established on December 13, 1978...
s including Best New Play; won Floyd S. Chalmers Award) - The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito - 1991
- Rose (play)Rose (play)Rose is a play by Tomson Highway, which premiered on January 31, 1999, at the University of Toronto.Set on the fictional Wasaychigan Hill reserve on Manitoulin Island, Rose is the third play in Highway's 'Rez Cycle,' following The Rez Sisters and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing...
- 2000 - Ernestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout - 2005
- Iskooniguni Iskweewuk - The Rez Sisters in its original version: Cree - 2010
- Paasteewitoon Kaapooskaysing Tageespichit - Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing in its original version: Cree - 2010
Novels
- Kiss of the Fur QueenKiss of the Fur QueenKiss of the Fur Queen is a novel by Tomson Highway. It was first published by Doubleday Canada in September 1998.The novel's main characters are Champion and Ooneemeetoo Okimasis, two young Cree brothers from northern Manitoba who are taken from their family and sent to a residential school...
- 1998 (shortlisted for the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Canadian Booksellers' Association Fiction Book of the Year Award)
Children's books
- Caribou Song - 2001 (selected as one of the "Top 10 Children’s Books" by Canadian newspaper The Globe and MailThe Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
) - Dragonfly Kites - 2002
- Fox on the Ice - 2003