Alyjah Ermine Neil | Photo: CINIC Studio

Alyjah Ermine Neil

By Meghan Power

Alyjah Ermine Neil has been writing most of their life. They recall one of their earliest memories of knowing that they were a storyteller with their Grade 6 teacher. “She would say, ‘This is good — keep writing.’ This was the first time I realized I was good at something that not all my classmates were good at. With her encouragement, writing became a constant for me. No matter what kind of difficulty I was going through in school.

“I remember I had a hard time staying within the lines. I was always writing off the end of my notebook — my thoughts and drawings sprawling out onto my desk. Instead of trying to force me to stay in the lines, my Grade 7 home room teacher saw value in it. Each week, she would wrap the top of my desk in paper, allowing me to grow and explore beyond the edges of my notebook.

 

“Another important lesson came to me from an elder who warned me, ‘If you don’t learn to use your gifts they will make you sick and you could hurt people.’” It was these words that helped to further Alyjah’s understanding of their gift as a 2Spirit storyteller and how their words and stories could be medicine for others and not just themselves.

 

“It was Dwight Farahat, from Tribe Artist Society, who encouraged me to apply to Calgary Arts Development (CADA) for a grant. Being accepted into the Original People’s Investment Program has given me the time and space needed to work on this collection: Medicine in the Soil; Magic from the Stars.” Alyjah also had support from multidisciplinary artist and Founder of CINIC Studio, Blake McLeod. “We first worked together on a project called Academic Indigiqueer in school. Blake has had a significant presence throughout this project — they’ve assisted me with publication design and also with documenting my process of writing this book.”

 

The funding from CADA has also given Alyjah the time and space to sort through more than 15 years of stories, and to edit and revise the ones that will be included in the collection. “I wrapped my kitchen table in paper, just like my teacher used to do for me. I started brainstorming and categorizing all my notes from the past several years to try and make sense of it all. I’ve written all these things to know myself and then, putting them out like a puzzle was another way of getting to know myself.”

 

“Another way of getting to know myself that happened while working on this project has been remembering the land and connecting with my indigeneity.” Alyjah is Cree from his father’s family and Métis and French, Scottish, and English from his mother’s family. “I feel writing about my life today, as an Indigiqueer 2S person is ancestral medicine. It’s intergenerational. It’s healing but it’s also sharing the intergenerational joy and strength. While I write about my struggles, I also write humour and about the successes. I want to outline both — not just ‘the struggle’ or ‘overcoming’. “I am so grateful to CADA for the funding. It has given me confidence in knowing that I am on the right track. And, it has helped me to develop my gift as a storyteller and to be able to offer these stories to my community.”