Originally published on Cortes Radio.ca, as part of the Deep Roots Initiative, Season Two
Jacqueline Mathieu’s journey to uncover her indigenous roots began in the most unexpected of places – an animated movie. Driven by an obsession with the main character, an interest in her own heritage blossomed over the course of her young life, as her journey to understand her culture began to stretch into the lives of her mother, her family, her community and beyond. In this episode of Deep Roots Island Waves, Jacqueline tells producer Morgan Rhys Tams the story of a young woman’s quest to uncover, reclaim and ultimately celebrate her indigenous heritage, reclaiming her identity from mass media, personal demons and Canada’s shameful past.
“When I was a kid, I was really into Pocahontas. I really loved the love story; I loved how she was like communicating with animals. She is tall and slender. Her hair was long, past her butt and perfectly shaped at the end. And when the wind would blow, her hair would blow all the same direction. I just thought she was the epitome of perfection. Sometime in the movie I remember looking at my babysitter and I told her ‘I wish I was Pocahontas; I wish I was an Indian.’ And she looked at me and she said, ‘You are an Indian.’” – Jacqueline Mathieu
Morgan Rhys Tams is a multi-disciplinary artist and media educator who spends his time on an assortment of small islands on British Columbia’s West Coast. As an artist his work has been shown in galleries, festivals and broadcast internationally. As an educator he has taught in partnership with The National Film Board of Canada, The City of Victoria Artist in Residence Program, The Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, Hot Docs International Documentary Festival and The Klondike Institute of Art and Culture. Morgan has a passion for creative storytelling, community engagement, and pushing the boundaries of media form and format. Deep Roots represents his first foray into radio, but it certainly won’t be his last.
