Lee Maracle

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Bobbi Lee Maracle Template:Post-nominals (born Marguerite Aline Carter; July 2, 1950Template:SndNovember 11, 2021) was an Indigenous Canadian writer and academic of the Stó꞉lō nation. Born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, she left formal education after grade 8 to travel across North America, attending Simon Fraser University on her return to Canada. Her first book, an autobiography called Bobbi Lee: Indian Rebel, was published in 1975. She wrote fiction, non-fiction, and criticism and held various academic positions. Maracle's work focused on the lives of Indigenous people, particularly women, in contemporary North America. As an influential writer and speaker, Maracle fought for those oppressed by sexism, racism, and capitalist exploitation.

Early life and education

The granddaughter of Tsleil-Waututh Chief Dan George,<ref name="cbcobit" /> Marguerite Aline Carter was born on July 2, 1950, in North Vancouver, British Columbia.<ref name="nytobit">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="sonneborn2014">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> "Lee" was a nickname for "Aline".<ref name="nytobit" /> She grew up in North Vancouver,<ref name="lutz1993">Template:Cite book</ref> raised mainly by her mother, Jean (Croutze) Carter.<ref name="nytobit" />

Maracle dropped out of school after grade 8<ref name="sonneborn2014" /> and went from California, where she did various jobs that included producing films and doing stand-up comedy,<ref name="ency">Template:Cite web</ref> to Toronto.<ref name="contempauthors" /> After returning to Canada, she attended Simon Fraser University.<ref name=":0" /> In the 1970s, she became involved with the Red Power movement in Vancouver.<ref name="sonneborn2014" />

Writing

Maracle's writing explores the experience of Indigenous women, critiquing patriarchy and white supremacy.<ref name="ency" /> Her first book was an autobiography: Bobbi Lee: Indian Rebel, published in 1975. The book began as an assignment in a course about writing life histories.<ref name="contempauthors">Template:Cite book</ref> Critic Harmut Lutz describes Indian Rebel as "a celebration of Native survival", comparing it to the works of Maria Campbell and Howard Adams.<ref name="lutz1993" /> Indian Rebel was "one of the first Indigenous works published in Canada".<ref name="ency" />

I Am Woman (1988) applies feminist theory to the situation of Indigenous women, describing women's sexual victimization at the hands of Indigenous and white men alike while reflecting on her own struggle for liberation.<ref name="contempauthors" /> Sojourner's Truth (1990), a collection of short stories, describes the everyday lives of Indigenous people dealing with a "Eurocentric culture".<ref name="contempauthors" /> Her poetry book, Hope Matters, was written in conjunction with her daughters Columpa Bobb and Tania Carter, and was published in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Sundogs, 1992, Maracle's first novel, touches on remembering Native heritage and recollecting cultural roots.

Ravensong, (1993), speaks of blending oral tradition and holistic oneness with living while tackling the barriers of racism, sexism, and class.

Academic positions

Maracle was one of the founders of the En'owkin International School of Writing in Penticton, British Columbia.<ref name="ency" /><ref name="lutz1993" /> She was the cultural director of the Centre for Indigenous Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, from 1998 to 2000.<ref name="sonneborn2014" />

Maracle taught at the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, and Southern Oregon University, and was a professor of Canadian culture at Western Washington University. She lived in Toronto, teaching at the University of Toronto First Nations House. She was the writer-in-residence at the University of Guelph.<ref name=ency/>

Personal life

Maracle belonged to the Stó꞉lō nation and had Coast Salish and Cree ancestry.<ref name="wilson2007">Template:Cite book</ref> She has been described as Métis.<ref name="sonneborn2014" /> She was married to Raymond Bobb and later to Aiyyana Maracle.<ref name="nytobit" /> She and Raymond had two daughters, including Columpa Bobb, and one son, actor Sid Bobb.<ref name="nytobit" /><ref name="lutz1993" />

She died on November 11, 2021, at Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey, British Columbia.<ref name="cbcobit">Template:Cite news</ref>

Awards and honours

Maracle was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2017, Maracle was presented with the Bonham Centre Award from the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, University of Toronto, for her contributions to the advancement and education of issues around sexual identification.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She delivered the 2021 Margaret Laurence Lecture on "A Writing Life".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2020, she was named finalist for the Neustadt International Prize for "Celia's Song".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Publications

Fiction

Non-fiction

  • Bobbi Lee: Indian Rebel (1975, reissued 1990)<ref name="lutz1993" />
  • I Am Woman: A Native Perspective on Sociology and Feminism (1988; Press Gang Publishers, 1996)<ref name="lutz1993" />
  • Oratory: Coming to Theory (1990)<ref name="juricekmorgan1997">Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Memory Serves: Oratories (2015) Template:ISBN
  • My Conversations with Canadians (2017)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Poetry

Collaborations

  • My Home as I Remember (2000)<ref name="wilson2007" />
  • We Get Our Living Like Milk from the Land (1993)<ref name="wilson2007" />
  • Telling It: Women and Language Across Cultures (with Betsy Warland, Sky Lee and Daphne Marlatt) (Press Gang Publishers, 1990)<ref name="lutz1993" />

See also

Citations

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General sources

Further reading

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