''Muskrat Magazine'' is an online Indigenous literary, art, and culture publication, published in

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 ...

. It includes profiles of Indigenous peoples engaged in the arts including literature, film, music, and visual and performing arts. The publication's name was inspired by the central role of the

muskrat The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitat ...

in a creation story re-told by

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, ...

storyteller

Basil H. Johnston Basil H. Johnston (13 July 1929 – 8 September 2015) was a Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) and Canadian writer, storyteller, language teacher and scholar. Biography Johnston was born July 13, 1929 on the Parry Island Indian Reserve to Rufus and Mary (n ...

( Wasauksing Ojibway) in his work ''Ojibway Heritage''. ''Muskrat Magazine'' was established by Rebeka Tabobondung ( Wasauksing Ojibway) and David Shilling (

Ojibway The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

). The founding editor was author

Cherie Dimaline Cherie Dimaline () is an Indigenous Canadian writer from the Georgian Bay Métis Nation, a part of Métis Nation of Ontario. She has written a variety of award-winning novels and other acclaimed stories and articles. She is most noted for her 201 ...

(

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

). The online publication was launched in November 2010, with Tabobondung and Shilling working from their

Beverley Street Beverley Street is a minor road and major bike route located in the central area of Toronto, Ontario. The street was put in place in the 1870s, with large and coveted lots alongside. It is of general consensus among locals that the road acts as the ...

apartment in Toronto. Tabobondung has stated that one of the goals for ''Muskrat'' is to explore the history and culture of Canadian Indigenous people in urban cities, where more than 50 percent now live. She and Shilling are cofounders of Maaiingan Productions, a collective of Aboriginal writers and commercial artists who work for a range of corporate and nonprofit clients. Tabobondung and Shilling felt there was a need to start their own publication when one of Maaiingan's clients, the Toronto Native publication ''Spirit'' magazine folded in 2008.

References

External links

* Literary magazines published in Canada Online magazines published in Canada First Nations magazines Indigenous peoples in Toronto Magazines established in 2010 Magazines published in Toronto Online literary magazines {{Toronto-stub