Paul Seesequasis
Paul Seesequasis is a Canadian writer and journalist.[1] The founder of Aboriginal Voices magazine,[2] he is best known for his two-year social media project of posting images of indigenous peoples of Canada.[3]
He is a member of the Plains Cree First Nation from Saskatchewan.[4]
The photography project was initially inspired by his mother, an Indian residential school survivor who once commented that she wanted to see more stories about the strength and resilience of indigenous communities.[3] With that in mind, he began searching various archives and museums to locate photos of indigenous people, choosing and posting images which conveyed positive and empowering and affirming messages about indigenous community life.[4] In some cases, his posts have led to successful identification of the people depicted in the photographs, whose names were not always recorded in the archives.[5]
In January 2017, Seesequasis signed a deal with the Canadian division of Penguin Random House to publish the photographs in book form.[6] The book, tentatively titled Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun and slated for publication in 2018, will include a written component documenting the context of the photographs, the subjects and the photographers.[5]
He published the novella Tobacco Wars in 2010.[2]
References
- ↑ "Paul Seesequasis: Images like Whitesboro's official seal dehumanize indigenous peoples". Unreserved, January 17, 2016.
- 1 2 "Indigenous writers take the stage at Inspire! book fair". Toronto Star, November 9, 2014.
- 1 2 "Historic photos show 'resilience,' 'strength' of Indigenous communities". CBC News, January 11, 2017.
- 1 2 "Archive photo project re-frames view of Inuit, Aboriginal past". Nunatsiaq News, March 30, 2016.
- 1 2 "Author Paul Seeseequasis connects stories about indigenous life to archival photos". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, January 11, 2017.
- ↑ "Paul Seesequasis turns social media project of aboriginal life into book deal". Quill & Quire, January 30, 2017.