Return to the Big-house

The installation is of a miniature Coast Salish Bighouse. White mini lights were utilized to illuminate the inside of the bighouse and orange mini lights represented First Nations children, “Returning to the Bighouse”, (using the smoke hole). Inside the Bighouse, a portable speaker was used to play the sound of a human heartbeat. The speaker was hidden by placing cedar boughs and sword fern fronds on top of it.

Installation: “7000+Spirits”

Colonial old-style fencing, rotting into the ground, fallen cross. Grave. Bottom of grave are thousands of First Nation children. Broken. Broken mirror represents fragmented spirits/separated from family, more spirits reflected and the rising of these children. Above are the children who have gone up to be with their ancestors (Home). Orange flickering are the children.

The ReDress Project

The ReDress Project was started in 2010 by Metis artist Jaime Black. Jaime started this project to bring awareness to the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans and Two-spirit individuals in Canada. This project has also just recently made its way to America, where there are similar, if not equal disproportionate numbers.

In Northern B.C. there is a section of high-way that stretches from Prince George to Prince Rupert, along this section, many Indigenous women go missing hitch hiking between these communities. Many of these women go missing during the harsh winter months and go unnoticed.

Photographs are courtesy of Toby Snelgrove and Bill Jamieson.

Special thanks to Amber Harvey for the poem which became the lyrics for the soundtrack created by Crystal DjKwe Favel.

The Gift

Everyone has a story. The Gift is one person’s journey through challenge and adversity in a boy’s early years. He is too young to understand the world he has been born into and has no voice to express the turmoil of his circumstances. For a boy without words, we use drumming, singing, movement and sound effects in a series of short scenes to evoke significant events in his life. As in a dream, Indigenous symbols and metaphor tell this tale of evolution and ultimate celebration. Some scenes will be easy to decipher, and some may leave you perplexed. It is all part of the experience.

During the period when I did not speak, in order to communicate I used to point, and I used facial expressions. These two techniques have been integrated into the piece where possible, to help demonstrate my vulnerability at such a young age. Although I did not speak, I did make what I now call “cave man” sounds, this is used in one humiliating scene where “bogey-woman” is attempting to get me to speak. Each scene communicates to the audience key moments which would transform my life. The path to where I am now.

A thick mop of dusty black hair hiding a face that was always turned down to the ground and a shuffling walk are my images of John Aitken when I first met him on Mayne Island in 1973. “Johnny” was in grade one that year, in my primary class of the little two room island school. A silent, almost ‘ghostly’ presence, large for his age, Johnny magically floated into the room in the morning, never left his desk, was never seen eating his lunch and disappeared unnoticed, at the end of each day. Schoolwork completed perfectly, was placed peeking just enough out of his desk so I would see it.

In his world, speaking seemed to be forbidden. Despite his silence, quick nods and shakes of his head and fast glances communicated enough. On the rare occasions when he joined us out on the playground, the freedom of open movement brought out a joyful exuberance, expressed through a huge smile, which was always covered as quickly as possible with his hands. Humour was a delight – Johnny would instantly “get” my teasing and joking; an endearing grin would light up his face which he quickly turned away, because he had failed to maintain his usual impassive, neutral expression.

Johnny stopped attending school for a few years because of terrible family events but showed up again around grade seven and eight. I watched him from my primary classroom, as he mingled more comfortably with the other middle schoolers, but the young, idealistic teacher I was then, was so disappointed that he still did not speak a word.

Over the years, I kept up via the island “grapevine”, with Johnny’s steps through life, frequently marveling at his emergence from such a dark, incomprehensible childhood. Finally in 2017, I made contact and we met for a visit at a local coffee shop on Mayne. Forty-four years after first meeting Johnny, my heart was peacefully joyful as I chatted with a quietly poised and confident man who has experienced impossible confusion and pain, yet moved to a rich, creative and purposeful place in his life, a place that must have seemed like a foreign planet at one time. There are many stories like John Aitken’s but his is my personally special one. Through his remarkable range of talents and skills, he now gives so much enjoyment, wisdom and hope to others!

~ Cathy Takagaki

Mixed Up

Mixed-up explores the many over-lapping cultural similarities between Johnny Aitken’s Coast Salish lineage and his Scottish lineage. This production will explore Johnny’s struggles and celebrations to define his identity as a person of mixed ancestry.

Photo: Glenda King

Mayne Island Honouring Figure

William Head on Stage

Since 2015 Johnny has been involved with William Head on Stage with various hats on. In the early days, Johnny offered his skills as a movement coach and an outside eye for scenes involving movement and or dance. More recently, Johnny has directed a couple short films. During the height of the pandemic, live theatre was not permitted, short films were created instead. Johnny has also offered cultural sensitivity workshops for men inside the prison and for the outside artist team to help prepare all for any issues that may appear related to Indigenous issues. Indigenous people are overrepresented in the prison systems. 2023 was Johnny’s last production that he was involved with which corresponded with his departure from performing theatre.

William Head on Stage has been around since the 80s and is the only theatre company in North America in a prison which invites theatre goers into the prison to view their productions. This company is inspiring for a wide variety of reasons. Many of the men performing in these productions have never performed before. So incredibly brave, especially in front of a live audience!

If you can, please consider attending a performance one day or perhaps donate to the company? Here is their website for more information: https://whonstage.weebly.com