Janice Acoose (1954-2020) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, newspaper

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

, indigenous language advocate, and professor of

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

and

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literature at

First Nations University of Canada The First Nations University of Canada (abbreviated as FNUniv) is a post-secondary institution and federated college of the University of Regina, based in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. FNUniv operates three campuses within the province, i ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

Early life and family

Acoose was born in Broadview, Saskatchewan, and attended the Cowessess Indian Residential School in the 1960s. Her cultural roots stemmed from the

Zagime Anishinabek The Zagime Anishinabek (formerly known as the Sakimay First Nation) are a Saulteaux band government in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Their reserves include: * Little Bone 74B * Minoahchak 74C * Sakimay 74-1 * Sakimay 74-2 * Sakimay 74-3 * S ...

(

Saulteaux The Saulteaux (pronounced , or in imitation of the French pronunciation , also written Salteaux, Saulteau and other variants), otherwise known as the Plains Ojibwe, are a First Nations band government in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Al ...

)

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

and the ''Ninankawe'' Marival

Metis Metis or Métis may refer to: Ethnic groups * Métis, recognized Indigenous communities in Canada and America whose distinct culture and language emerged after early intermarriage between First Nations peoples and early European settlers, prima ...

. Her father's mother was Madelaine O'Soup, adopted daughter of O'Soup, Chief of the

Anishnabe The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawatomi, ...

at O'Soup Reserve. Her father's father was Paul Acoose, from the nearby Sakimay Reserve. Paul was the son of Samuel Acoose, an esteemed Buffalo Runner, and Samuel was descended from Quewich, who travelled with Waywayseecapo.

Works

Acoose was Saskatchewan's first Native Affairs

for the ''

Saskatoon Star-Phoenix ''The StarPhoenix'' is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a part of Postmedia Network. The ''StarPhoenix'' puts out six editions each week and publishes one weekly, ''Bridges''. It is also part of the canada.com ...

''. She also regularly contributed to the ''

Regina Leader-Post The ''Regina Leader-Post'' is the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and a member of the Postmedia Network. Founding The newspaper was first published as ''The Leader'' in 1883 by Nicholas Flood Davin, soon after Edgar Dewdney, Li ...

'', the '' Prince Albert Herald'',

Aboriginal Voices Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: * Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

, New Breed and Windspeaker. In 1995,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

's Women's Press published her book ''Iskwewak Kah Yaw Ni Wahkomakanak''. A copy of her Masters Thesis ''Iskwewak--Kah' Ki Yaw Ni Wahkomakanak: Neither Indian princesses nor squaw drudges'' is freely available online''.'' Acoose was interviewed in the 2006

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

documentary ''

Finding Dawn ''Finding Dawn'' is a 2006 documentary film by Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh looking into the fate of an estimated 500 Canadian Aboriginal women who have been murdered or have gone missing over the past 30 years. Subject The film begins with ...

'', about murdered and missing Aboriginal women in Canada.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acoose, Janice First Nations journalists Canadian women non-fiction writers First Nations women writers 1954 births Living people Writers from Saskatchewan People from Broadview, Saskatchewan Saulteaux people Canadian women journalists 20th-century First Nations writers 21st-century First Nations writers 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Canadian indigenous women academics First Nations academics