A recap of Dr. Laara Fitznor’s VEMU lecture on Indigenous stories

VINCENT TEETSOV

VEMU and the Estonian Studies Centre’s programming for autumn 2021 was dedicated to Indigenous peoples in North America and Finno-Ugric peoples. Thus, on November 24th, a virtual lecture was given by Dr. Laara Fitznor (available on VEMU’s YouTube channel: www.you- tube.com/watch?v=DI3GC- Cr1_r4&ab_channel=VEMU), a now-retired Senior Scholar of the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba.

As was introduced to viewers in the beginning of the lecture, Dr. Fitznor is a member of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in Manitoba. Founded on her life experiences and her career as a scholar, she has stood up against the oppression of Indigenous peoples. She has endeavoured to educate Canadians of all walks of life about all aspects of Indigenous culture, history, and how Indigenous peoples have shaped and continue to shape the nation.

The topic of Dr. Fitznor’s lecture was “Indigenous voices speaking back to colonial impacts through the power of story.” And with ongoing news about the victims of the residential school system and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, it was important to hear her own perspective on colonialism in Canada. Dr. Fitznor’s grandfather Nimosoom had prophesied that Laara would be an educator to many, and this she has done, spreading understanding to the Estonian community in Canada.

Dr. Fitznor spoke very personally, with a stone held in her hand, “to guide me and keep me grounded, as one of our cultural relatives, as I speak.” She brought us back to her early years as she explained the names given to her: Missisak (Horsefly) is a Cree name given to her by her grandfather as a child. It became significant later on because, as she puts it, she was bugging the institution and whoever would listen about there needing to be more of an Indigenous presence, knowledge, and perspectives. Her spirit name is Wapiskew Meskanak Eskwew (White Turtle Woman), which was given to her by elder friends of hers when she felt ready to receive a spirit name. She went on to describe the ritual and meaning behind receiving this name.

With the meaning of words in mind, viewers were given insight into new terms that help to understand Indigenous perspectives. For example, Anishinaabe literary scholar Gerald Vizenor’s coined word “survivance”; for which an Estonian language translation, “vastupanu”, was suggested by an audience member. Fitznor says that the meaning goes “beyond surviving, but is thriving with our Indigenous imprints, our blood memory of what’s embodied in our bodies and what we remember that’s given to us by our ancestral knowledge, that we carry forward... it’s always embodied in the way we can best make sense of the world today.”

She told stories of her family to show why this active resistance is upheld. Within the time frame of the lecture, Dr. Fitznor spoke about the Indian Act, enacted in 1876, and its destructive statutes regarding status, including those that made it illegal for her grandmother to return to her First Nations community, and which punished her grandmother for marrying a non-Indigenous man of German background. She also recounted the story of how when veterans came back to Canada after the Second World War, Indigenous veterans like her father were not given the same assistance to transition back into civilian life.

At the same time, Dr. Fitznor painted a picture of her family’s traditions, ties to the past, and connections to the land. Her family have lived with self-reliance through traditions like harvesting calamus roots for medicine, fishing, and beadwork.

As was emphasized over the last few months of VEMU programming, and as noted by Piret Noorhani, Chief Archivist of VEMU, “There are universal similarities and also clear differences in the experiences of Indigenous peoples around the world who have suffered under colonialism... It is our own post-colonial past that could help us understand the historical suffering of the Indigenous peoples here...”

Noorhani quoted Mary Lyons from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, who said “When we talk about land, land is part of who we are. It’s a mixture of our blood, our past, our current, and our future. We carry our ancestors in us, and they are around us. As you all do.” In connection, Noorhani referenced “Maarahvas” (land people, or country folk) as the oldest endonym of Estonians.

What could an understanding of Estonian history and culture enable us to do when it comes to reconciliation? It is a frame of reference from which we can be supportive, listen, and learn. As Dr. Fitznor concluded in her lecture, “Walk with us, beside us, but never ahead of us.” Listening to her stories, and the stories of all Indigenous peoples, is a positive beginning to walking side by side.

As part of their ongoing commitment to these topics, on December 12th at 2:00 PM (EST), VEMU will also be hosting a workshop on their YouTube channel (in Estonian) about the cooking of Finno-Ugric dishes, with Ljudmila Ruukel.

Dr. Laara Fitznor.

Photo: David Lipnowski