Jules Arita Koostachin
Jules Arita Koostachin
Biography
Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin is an InNiNew IsKwew (Swampy Cree woman) and a band member of Attawapiskat First Nation located in what is now called northern Ontario. Jules was raised by her Cree speaking grandparents in Moosonee, as well as in Ottawa with her mother, a residential school warrior. She is a graduate of Concordia University’s Theatre program and Ryerson University’s Documentary Media Master’s program. In 2010, Jules was awarded an Award of Distinction and an Academic Gold Medal for her thesis documentary Remembering Inninimowin. She is the mother of four incredible sons, a published writer, performance artist, an academic and an award-winning filmmaker. She recently completed her PhD with the Institute of Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice program at the University of British Columbia. Jules is represented by Lucas Talent for directing and The Characters Talent Agency for acting in Vancouver. She is the voice of Layla (Molly’s mom) on the award-winning animated series Molly of Denali with CBC and PBS. Jules has also been actively working with community supporting women and children who face barriers and she hopes to continue shedding light on socio-political issues that urban and rural Indigenous peoples face.
Poetics Statement
“Finalist for the 2019 Indigenous Voices Award in Published Poetry in English. To unearth our secrets means we must face our past, and in doing so, we will find our voice. Unearthing of Secrets: Gathering of Truths explores the heartfelt and evocative fragmented experiences through the eyes of an Indigenous woman. Through the honesty of her words, she embraces the spirit world, the resilience of her foremothers, the integral healing powers of disassociation as a survival mechanism, and the richness of her PoWaMeWin - dreams, which reconnects her to herself. Through her poetry, she has found the courage to face her difficult past, and now as a mother, she is gathering the truths of her family to help in the healing process.”
Sample of Poet's Work
NANAN
small aged body
lying helpless
fetal position
barely holding her knees to her chest
elderly women sit around her
we wait
no one comes
empty wheel chairs
echoes of whispers
praying to the spirits
sharing with the ones they once knew
memories
shadows walk the corridors
waiting for her last breath
lines deep
eyes fading
staring blankly
smile fading
hanging on to the world
she was once a part of
strong in her past
vulnerable now
waiting for care as a child would
remembering her hair
once long and black
brown sweet face
hands soft
securely holding me
still resting my head on her chest
please don’t leave me Nanan
who will I be without you?
will I still be me if you leave?
I want to follow her into the spirit world
longing for her to return
returning to us as she once was
through the next generation
spirits creep closer and closer
gently pulling her to the world of ghosts
world of memories
I beg for more time
How do I live without you?
the room has an odor of life drained
eyes are empty
each second that passes
death approaches inch
by inch sore tired bodies
lost mind
strapped in the past
reaching with broken hearts
for someone
piano playing
faintly heard
old people clapping
forgotten warriors
full lives
Will this nightmare end?
once strong and free
locked down
fragile bodies
soft cries from the dark hallway
fallen
scared
exhausted
wishing for youthfulness
lost in regrets
I leave her there
abandoned
she watches me leave
Nanan knows I love her
I ignore my thoughts
I make myself believe
I will see her again
It’s over
last day of her life as my Nanan
tears escape her sad eyes
my heart pains
heaviness
please no
stay with me Nanan
life stops
creator punches a whole through me
emptiness
pain like no other
I can’t breath
void
bye my Nanan
WhatChia
no word for goodbye in our language
till we meet again
I love you
CHILD UNDER WATER
walking along a path
sky darkened with clouds
a bridge lies ahead
afraid to cross
stopping myself
standing in the middle of the bridge
dirty obnoxious men
sit along the water’s edge
filthy needles sinking deep into their arms
breaking through their skin
head thrown back
ecstasy
feeling the high
selfishly guarding
a child trapped under the water
anger shelters her
inner voice yells at me
save the little girl
the girl under the water
deep breathing
exhale slowly
become the warrior
stench of the men
gagging
poison is strong
prisoners of their addictions
I make it across
I am there near the water
I gently put my feet into the coldness
in the center of the stream
pulling the child up to my chest
her eyes closed
body limp
shaking her gently
slowly she wakes
screaming soundlessly
men watch
they move in closer
child is familiar
she is me...
I hold her close
crying out silently
the warmth of my body soothes her
she opens herself up to me
how did she stay alive under the water?
surviving for so long without breath
our eyes lock
she stopped breathing
a long time ago
I hold her so close
we become one again
we take a breath together
once again
she is finally free
men remember
children once trapped
pained by residential school
beaten
hurt
severed
move along now
it’s time to go
it’s time to live your lives
heal
be free