Throughout the 60's and 70's, when I was in school, I remember virtually all our reading and educational materials had to do with England or the U.S. or, at the very least, southern and most definitely – non-Native Canada. Nothing ever happened in our part of the world – in my case, northern, Native Manitoba. Dick and Jane, the Happy Hollisters, the Hardy Boys, Oliver Twist, Jane Eyre, Romeo and Juliet, THEY had all the fun, the adventures, the dramas, the great love affairs, not us.

Needless to say, precious few of us Native kids could relate to these people, these characters. So of what interest was school to us? Is it any wonder most Native students dropped out before finishing highschool? Is it any wonder so few went on to university? Is it any wonder so few went on to successful careers in business, in law, in the social sciences, in the arts?

Fortunately, sometime in the late 70's and 80's, a few hardy souls in the Native community started writing – stories that took place on reserves for instance, or at least were about Native individuals having fun, adventures, engaging in dramatic encounters, carrying on great love affairs. What’s more, many of these books – plays, novels, poetry – eventually found their way into school (and university) curricula, not to mention libraries and bookstores. Now, Native students could read about themselves, their lives, their problems, their fears, dreams, aspirations. And, now, they were interested. Now, there was a reason for finishing highschool, for going on to university and successful careers that, in turn, added immeasurably to the rebuilding and revitalizing of many broken and troubled Native communities. Suddenly, we were helping ourselves, changing our lives for the better.

This exciting new journey has only just begun, how-ever. And the road still to be travelled is long and winding. All the more reason, therefore, for reading and learning and reading and learning. Who knows, you too may soon be writing stories, novels, plays, or poems, all of which, in their turn, will add immeasurably to the Native education system and, in the end, to the increasing health of Native communities everywhere.

Yes. Indeed. Literacy can change the world.
Go for it!