Residential School survivor Dorothy Visser (Cree, left), graphic novelist Natasha Donovan (Métis, centre), and fillmmaking Andy Rutter
On Monday, June 2nd, the UBC Turtle Island Cluster of the SSHRC Partnership Grant, Visual Storytelling and Graphic Art in Genocide and Human Rights Education, completed filming the short documentary film associated with the project with director Andy Rutter.
Natasha Donovan (Métis, left) showing Dorothy Visser (Cree, right) the final pages
“We Can Still Sing and Dance: Kokum Dorothy’s Story” is a 50-page graphic novel co-created by award-winning Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan and Indian-Residential-School survivor Dorothy Anne Visser (nee W
The story follows Dorothy Visser (née Whiskeyjack) from childhood to adolescence and into adulthood, focussing on how Dorothy’s early years on Saddle Lake Reservation, where she spent a good deal of time with her maternal and paternal grandparents, gave her the strength, love, and faith she needed to survive Indian Residential School.
Dorothy was taken from her family at the age of 8 and placed in the Blue Quills Indian Residential School In St. Albert, Alberta. After leaving school early at the age of 16, Dorothy made her way to Edmonton, where she studied nursing. She eventually married, had five children, and spent much of her adult life in Comox on Vancouver Island and in Langley, British Columbia. Dorothy now lives in Surrey, BC, where she teaches online Nehiyaw (Cree) language classes.
Dorothy Visser (Cree, left) and Turtle Island Cluster Co-Lead Shannon Leddy (Métis)