Colleagues, Associates, Mentors, emerging artists and laypersons:
1: It has been great to be part of this Vancouver community and to develop my artistic career since I arrived here 24 years ago. To read and learn about the other points of view from the emailers and readers is an insight to the complexities of the human spirit, the world we occupy, and our final destinations. I thank you all for your support, criticisms, and challenges which hopefully shapes us into better people. As a cultural professional, filmmaker and performer, I am humbled by the work that I have seen and experienced over the years from the many talented people> out and about, and I know I have so much more to learn regarding the fragile state we live in today, and our roles as artists today. God willing I turn 48 tomorrow July 27. Being a Leo, I have been too dogmatic, opinionate, and egocentric at times, no doubt because of this traits, and my own sense of insecurity. Somewhat older these days, I have mellowed out from the intensity of my early years, but there were many reasons for that intensity, or sense of determination of the times. I was determined not to become the failure that many systemic native and non-natives want others to end up in, when ones sees someone attempting to realize their potential in life. Even today, we are still divided and unsure of the other. Why is that? Politics of survivial? Politics of race? Politics of indifference? Insecurities, jealousy, pettiness, stupidity? What it is? Moving here September 17, 1980, there were two choices for me as a young uneducated native man at the time I left Edmonton, Alberta. Death by drugs or ending up in jail. I kid you not. Finding acceptance in all the wrong places was normal for native people in a society, which is still systemically racist and expects to see the native under the white man, black man, or yellow man.
With the historicity of colonialism, capitalism, empericalism, and the> ideology which came out of the baroque, romantic, modernist, contemporary, and now our "Age of Terror" period of cultural politics, the "Indian" was seen as part of the heathens and infidel classification which developed out of the manifest destiny, and was seen as sub-human. This positioning crept into the dime novels, the folklore, romantic novels, cultural, political, and education apparatuses of the colonial states, and eventually the filmic, radio, and television forms which still exist today. It still exists today in how people> attempt to define Natives today. Moving out of the red neck racism of my early years I was determined more than every to do something with my life when I saw the opportunities in Vancouver. Repressing all the hate, anger, rage, and damaging experiences I endure as a child growing up, I did not look back except at time in my life where I was weaken by the challenges we all must endure at times. I tell you people this because, I believe in what I experienced as an uneducated man to reasonalbly intelligent man, even though I am still haunted by the> experiences of my past. You see I received a package last week from a lawyer in Edmonton, who is representing victims of child abuse during the hundreds of thousands of adoptions of Métis children by the Alberta Government. Not good, now I know what people experience when they have to remember the experiences of residential school, and other institutions which were created to suppress a people or race. All the physical and sexual abuse I experienced as a child flooded back to me. To remember the hate, and anger of that time was haunting> and forlorn. Yet we must carry on. I joined the suit because the system has to be accountable to the suffering many young Métis Children experienced under foster care. I was just one, and many have not survived and not here today.
If any of you ever get a chance to see Dairy of A Métis Child an NFB docu-drama by Alana Obomsowin, check it out. Sad film, but tells the story of Richard Cardinal, who committed suicide at the age of 16 after 16 foster homes. I empathized with the story because I could have been Richard. To find out that I was in 16 foster homes by the time I was four in 1994 was astounding. Now I know why I was so intense, so determined. So determined to success in asystemic society, which hated Indians. People laughed at me, ridiculed me and told me to get out of the business when I was a young actor/model. Perhaps all that rejection at an early age helped, because my skin was as tough as nails and all the adamant hate towards me only made me more determined to success and be better than the "white" man at their game. Racist, maybe, but this world and its cultural politics has been based on the colour of ones skin, and at those times in my life, I was cold, uncaring, and determined to stay alive in a society which wanted me dead or in jail. Today, I am stronger, brighter, and more caring, even though I still experience the racism today and yesterday. I will get through this lawsuit, and I will continue to create stories about life and our journey to our Creator. I may turn 48 tomorrow, but today, I will still have the opportunity to realize my> potential in life instead of settling with life.
2: Thanks for reading, and taking time to learn more about me, and what has defined my character, my development as a human, and my determination to make this world a better place for all of us. I incuded my CV to give you an update on my work.
3: Next current project is the feature film story of Metis Winter Morning. The project will tell the story of young Metis love in the 40s and the> apprehension of Metis children by The State system. If people are interested in being involved with this film project, please email CVs, a letter of interest as to why you would want to be involved with a summation of your goals and aspirations.
Miigweech to all my relations in you.
Donald Morin, ba
DAMOGRAPHY MEDIA
Ae Literacy Manufacturing Company.
Cell #: 1-778-866-2275
