Shirley Cheechoo ( cr, ᔒᓕᒋᒍ born 1952) is a Canadian

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

actress, writer, producer, director, and visual artist, best known for her solo-voice or

monodrama A monodrama is a theatrical or operatic piece played by a single actor or singer, usually portraying one character. In opera In opera, a monodrama was originally a melodrama with one role such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau's '' Pygmalion'', which w ...

play '' Path With No Moccasins'', as well as her work with De-Ba-Jeh-Mu-Jig theatre group. Her first break came in 1985 when she was cast on the CBC's first nations TV series ''

Spirit Bay ''Spirit Bay'' was an aboriginal family television show of 13 half-hour episodes that aired on CBC Television and TVOntario from 1982 to 1987. The show focuses on the lives of townsfolk on an Ojibwe reservation town near MacDiarmid, Ontario. Here, ...

'', and later, in 1997, she found a role on the CBC's TV series ''

The Rez ''The Rez'' is a Canadian drama television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1996 to 1998. Bruce McDonald and Norman Jewison were executive producers of the series, which chronicled life in an Ojibway community. The series is based o ...

''. She was named chancellor of

Brock University Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bear ...

in July 2015, the institution's first female and first aboriginal chancellor.

Biography

Shirley Cheechoo was born in 1952 in

Eastmain, Quebec Eastmain ( ; cr, ᐄᔅᒣᐃᓐ/Îsmein) is a Cree community located on east coast of James Bay at the mouth of the Eastmain River, Quebec, Canada. It is a small coastal Cree village with a population of 924 people in the 2021 Canadian Ce ...

, and grew up in

Moose Factory Moose Factory is a community in the Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Moose Factory Island, near the mouth of the Moose River, which is at the southern end of James Bay. It was the first English-speaking settlement in lands n ...

and Hearst,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. Shirley spent her early life on traplines with her parents and brothers, but at the age of nine was sent to a residential school, Shingwauk Residential School, now known as

Algoma University College Algoma University, commonly shortened to Algoma U or Algoma, is a public university with its main campus located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. With a particular focus on the needs of Northern Ontario, Algoma U is a teaching-focused and s ...

. At this school Cheechoo, like many other residential school survivors, experienced violence and abuse and was told that "her parents would die if she ran away." After leaving school at fifteen, Cheechoo experienced problems with substance abuse, but eventually, she turned her life around and began to work in film and theatre to explore themes of healing and survivance post-trauma. Her experiences at a residential school and her road to healing are documented in her stage play 1991 ''Path with No Moccasins.'' Shirley attended art classes at the Manitou Arts Foundation during the summer of 1966.

The De-ba-jeh-mu-jig years

Shirley founded De-ba-jeh-mu-jig theatre, which developed out of the children's theatre. After starting the theatre company, partner Blake Debassige, a visual artist, served on the board of directors and as president of the board during the early years of De-Ba-Jeh-Mu-Jig theatre group. During her time at Debaj, Shirley fulfilled the role of

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

, president of the board of directors, as well as fulfilling much of the administrative roles, actor, and playwright. Shirley is the first

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

woman to "write, produce, direct, and act in a feature length film from Canada".

Career

Shirley first gained national attention with ''Path With No Moccasins''. Her directorial debut was with a short film called ''Silent Tears'', which won several film festival awards for Best Short Film and was "screened at the 1998Sundance Film Festival." Her first feature film was ''Backroads'', a journey into the harsh contemporary life of Cree women. The movie was financed and executive-produced by Offline Entertainment Group. Shirley realized that she could "ease a pain or raise an issue with her film work" and so dedicated herself to creating film by enrolling in writing classes, director's labs, acting workshops and film schools.Shirley Cheechoo

National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation Indspire, formerly known as the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF), is a national Indigenous registered charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and c ...

Much of her art is based on biographical elements. ''Path With No Moccasins'' gave Shirley the opportunity to "speak about her life and the struggle to retain her identity, and Cree heritage".Shirley Cheechoo
Art World of Sherway ''Silent Tears'' chronicles the events of a "harsh winter trip with her parents to a northern trap line when she was eight years old". In order to promote Aboriginal artists, Shirley and Blake Debassige co-own Kasheese Studios art gallery. She is also the president of Spoken Song film production company and founded the Weengushk Film Institute on

Manitoulin Island Manitoulin Island is an island in Lake Huron, located within the borders of the Canadian province of Ontario, in the bioregion known as Laurentia. With an area of , it is the largest lake island in the world, large enough that it has over 100 ...

that will train, develop and guide independent filmmakers. Through the Weengushk Film Institute, she also launched the annual Weengushk International Film Festival in 2018. Her artwork is inspired by Woodlands School, which is a concept given birth by

Norval Morrisseau Norval Morrisseau (March 14, 1932 – December 4, 2007), also known as Copper Thunderbird, was an Indigenous Canadian artist from the Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation. Known as the "Picasso of the North", Morrisseau created works depi ...

. Her art has been exhibited around the world, and her commissions include: *Christmas cards for UNICEF *Amnesty International *The Ontario Native Women's Association *The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto

Cultural work

She is a mentor to many in the Native arts community and one of Canada's most well-known and respected artists. She visits other communities and schools and holds workshops. On the topic of visiting schools to host acting and playwrighting workshops, Shirley has said

the kids that come into the theatre, into the drama workshops, are the kids that I pick. I feel that they need some kind of self-esteem, and drama does it. Anything in the arts gives these kids a lot of self-esteem ... the arts are really important for children and they're not taught in the schools

Shirley is concerned with Indigenous people's complacency with "small advancements and the slight changes that appear when it comes to equality and respect" and believes that "We must continue to fight in the most positive way to try and find a level playing field for Indigenous people to work, live, and create in the main". In February 2008, Shirley was awarded a

Lifetime Achievement Award Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions. Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include: A * A.C. ...

in the area of art by the

. She was also awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Award in 2013 to recognize her commitment to education. She also received the Anishinabek Nation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

Writings and appearances

Plays

*''Path With No Moccasins'' (1991) *''Tangled Sheets'' (1994) *''Your Dream Was Mine'' (2005)

Film

*''Shadows in Deep Water'' (?) - director *'' Utshimassits: Place of the Boss'' (1996) - narrator *''Silent Tears'' (1998) - director, writer *''Backroads'' (aka ''Bearwalker'') (2000) - director, writer *''Tracks in the Snow'' (2001) - productor, director *''Pikutiskaau (Mother Earth)'' (2003) - director *''In Shadow'' (2003) - director *''

Johnny Tootall ''Johnny Tootall'' is a 2005 television film written and directed by Shirley Cheechoo.Laura Stevens"Johnny Tootall to receive wider audience" ''Ontario Birchbark'', Vol. 5 No. 6 (2006). The film stars Adam Beach as the titular Johnny Tootall, a y ...

'' (2005) - director, writer *''Moose River Crossing'' (2013) - director, writer

Media appearances

*''

'' (1984) *''Medicine River'' (1993) *''

'' (1996) *''Song of Hiawatha'' (1997) *''Silent Tears'' (1998) *''

Johnny Greyeyes ''Johnny Greyeyes'' is a 2000 Canadian drama film, directed by Jorge Manzano.Mary Jane Miller, ''Screening Culture: Constructing Image and Identity''. Lexington Books, 2003. . Chapter "'Living within and between Various Worlds and Identities" by H ...

'' (2000) *''Backroads'' (2000) *''Christmas in the Clouds'' (2001) *''

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

'' - Mrs. Lemonde (2008) * Provided the illustrations for ''Tales the Elders Told'' by Basil H. Johnston

Awards

*Best Short Film - ''Silent Tears'' *Telefilm Canada/Television Northern Canada Award for Best Canadian Aboriginal Language Television Program - ''Silent Tears'' (1998) *Best Director. Reel World Film Festival (Toronto 2000) *

in the area of art (2008). Given by the

, now Indspire. *CTV Fellowship Award *Eagle Spirit Award *Independent Filmmaker of the Year (Arizona International Film Festival) (2002). *Best Film for ''Johnny Tootall'' at the 2005

American Indian Film Festival The American Indian Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival in San Francisco, California, United States. It is the world's oldest venue dedicated solely to Native American/First Nations films and prepared the way for the 1979 formati ...

References

External links

Shirley Cheechoo Art CollectionRecipient of National Aboriginal Achievement AwardsFilm festival feature
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheechoo, Shriley First Nations dramatists and playwrights Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Cree people 1952 births Living people First Nations filmmakers Canadian women film directors Members of the Order of Canada People from Eeyou Istchee (territory) 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Canadian university and college chancellors First Nations women writers Woodlands style Indspire Awards Canadian Film Centre alumni 20th-century First Nations writers 21st-century First Nations writers Canadian artistic directors