Reimagining Canada: An Interview with Joseph Boyden on Metis Identity, Storytelling, and Public History

Abstract

Joseph Boyden is dedicated to his craft, but he is also fiercely committed to indigenous activism and the arts. He is an informed advocate for Native rights, and frequently offers public readings and interviews. I met Boyden at the Aboriginal Arts Festival, held in conjunction with the International Festival of the Authors, in Barrie, Ontario last October. Our conversation began with the subject of activism before branching off in myriad other directions, including his recent non-fiction work on Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont, the debate on appropriation, Canada’s peacekeeping identity, and the role of the arts in promoting healing and reconciliation.