10 Responses

  1. Prisca
    Prisca at |

    My mother heard Grey Owl speak at a School assembly in London England in the 30s. He ignited her passion for Canada long before she emigrated. If he had been a mascot we wouldn’t question his relevance as a marketing tool.

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  2. Cory
    Cory at |

    I find some terrible and eerie irony in the fact that the Canadian government had Grey Owl on their payroll to promote parks and sustainability through a man pretending to be First Nations on traditional indigeous land that had only just been appropriated from ACTUAL Indigenous people.
    Grey Owl was getting paid by the government to promote a way of life (in the image of an indigenous man) that the Canadian government was enforcing policy to eradicate through the Indian Act and Residential Schools- to rid the country of the “Indian problem”.

    On top of that, the creation of the PA National park boarders included evicting hundreds of Metis families that had survived the battle of Batoche, and migrated north to where the park is today but were removed from their homes once again because the Governemnt decided that they wanted the land.
    I guess I can appreciate the message that Grey Owl was advocating but the historical context of the time and space is a perfect example of the Canadian government creating an image of the Canadian Story while doing something very, very different.

    “The truth about stories, is that it’s all we are.” – Tom King

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  3. Kelly Cervi
    Kelly Cervi at |

    You are such a lovely writer Coleen! Enjoy following your story across Canada!

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  4. janet
    janet at |

    Someone who changes gender, are they a fake ….someone who embodies another…are they a fake. Is it enough that someone who reveres another is considered as the living theme of the “sincerest form of flattery”. Grey Owl embodies all that is good in the human experience – whether native “american” native “pagan” european or other. When you are good, are inspirational I say you are FABULOUS, …..darling !

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  5. Glenn
    Glenn at |

    Nice one Colleen… got me thinkin’ …

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