Muses From The North

Article 4 – The Death Bird

by Hope RichardsMy name is Hope Richards, and I am an eighteen-year-old Cree woman from a small reserve called Opaskwayak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. Growing up, I was always interested in all kinds of art. Drawing Indigenous art is not something I normally do, mostly because there are so many amazing Indigenous artists and…

Article 3 – Power Asymmetry, Paternalistic, and Situational Factors Resulting in Violence Against Women in Canada

by Alicia Stensgard AbstractThis research paper defines violence against women as well as intimate partner violence and other terms related. Examples are provided to demonstrate why power struggle dynamics, male privilege and situational factors in unhealthy intimate partnerships result in violence against women. Also, described as a human rights violation and feminist issue, violence against…

Article 2 – Poems on Northern Culture and Aboriginal Tradition

By Liz Tritthart ​1. Broken Promises Hidden,She climbsFrom her bitter bed.Internal laughter arisesBecause she knows they are liars.Her identity is lost and broken.Shattered.She sobs,Praying her ancestors hear her cries,But the sky is only filled with false hopeAnd smog from their industrialization.Her land, ravished.She lives a woeful tale,With an identity that has beenSTRIPPEDAWAY…Recycled.Refabricated.Unrecognizable.How many more years…

Article 1 – My Little Jilly-bean

by Hannah Pajic As I stared over my mother’s unconscious body, out cold on the scratched leather couch, I began to find myself picturing violent scenes in my head. I wondered how thick her skin would be if I were to take a kitchen knife to it. Would her blood be brightly red or darkly…

Words from the Editors

Tansi! Our deepest appreciations go to the following groups and individuals for their remarkable contributions to the successes that we have so far recorded since the launch of Muses from the North: first, our student contributors; second, President Doug Lauvstad and the VPAR, Dr. Dan Smith; third, Dean Harvey Briggs of the Faculty of Arts…

Article 14 – Zephyr’s Gun

I am a self-taught artist,done a lot of things,been to a lot of places,seen a lot of things.My art is fringe and usually pretty weirdand my writing is dark–a reflectionof the world I live in.Now I live north of 55,for a long time, I love the peopledon’t really dig the weatherI try to live in…

Article 13 – 2 Poems: A Crocus & Another Storm

by Keyanna B. Ouellette Throughout my junior high and high school years I attended the Canada Scouts program, which offered me opportunities to go on adventures. One of our camping trips was in the bush somewhere between Thompson and Grand Rapids. My scout leader had told my friend and me about the Crocus. Being the…

Article 12 – From Misled to Leader: Edmund’s Transition in “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”

By Elizabeth Tritthart In “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” C.S. Lewis transforms Edmund from a selfish and stuck-up boy to a strong and brave King. Several incidents influence his personality changes to make him worthy of being one of the eventual four rulers of Narnia. Through his journey, Edmund allows his displacement to…

Article 11 – Woodworker

By Christopher Charbonneau Deciding to go back to school is not a decision that can be made lightly. When I decided that it was time to further my own education it was only after years of making excuses. I never thought I would succeed in my studies, neither did I think that I could handle…

Article 10 – The Sundance

By Shelby Tobacco “Wee… Wee…Wee.” The sound of the eagle whistles were blowing in sync and harmonizing with the powerful drum beats. The beats were so strong and commanding, that I could physically feel them in my chest. Twelve of us, myself included, were in a trance, our eyes fixed on the “Okan” which translates…