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Read the Provinces: Catherine Lafferty
Northern Indigenous author Catherine Lafferty talks to us about her connection to place, the barriers to entry for Indigenous writers in the Northwest Territories where she lives, and her memoir Northern Wildflower (Roseway Publishing). Scroll on for our chat with Catherine and read an excerpt from her novel.
INTERVIEW WITH CATHERINE LAFFERTY
All Lit Up: Tell us about your book Northern Wildflower and how it came to be.FROM NORTHERN WILDFLOWER
Yellowknife felt like an increasing burden on me and I would have done anything to try to get out, but running away and hitchhiking doesn’t get you very far when there is only one road out of town. My friends and I would slowly make our way to the mall from the arcade to check things out and then turn around and walk back to the arcade. Continuously walking in a loop all day long was the only form of entertainment for teenagers with a lot of time on their hands and no money.Sure, I could have been in school trying to bring up my grades, but that was no fun; plus I was so far behind in my studies from skipping school for so long that I would have to put in twice the effort. Combined with the fact that all my friends were out having a good time, school was low on my list of things to do.I began a short-lived attempt at stealing, which consisted of trying to lift clothes and makeup, but I made for a horrible thief. My friend was sporting some nice clothes and told me that she got her clothes from stealing. I wanted in, so she brought me to the mall and we stuffed our backpacks with clothes while pretending to try stuff on in the change rooms. The store clerk was suspicious and called security. The mall security chased us all the way down the street until we hid in the back alley behind a crummy motel, huffing and puffing and trying to empty our bags before we got caught. Ever since then, I always feel like I’m being followed when I’m in an expensive store. I can feel the clerk’s eyes on me and I instantly start to feel like I’ve done something wrong. It’s the same feeling I get when the police are behind me and I am afraid I’m going to get pulled over, even though I’ve done nothing wrong.Looking back, I only stole because I didn’t know the consequences, and once again, I had to learn the hard way. I have always liked having nice clothes, though, so on my fourteenth birthday my friend enticed me to spend my birthday money in Edmonton on a shopping spree. She told me that her mom lived in the city, so we would have a place to stay when we got there. All I needed to do was buy a plane ticket and save a bit of money for shopping. I only had enough to buy a one-way ticket, but I wasn’t concerned with how I was going to get back. I should have known it was too good to be true. The minute we touched down in the city, she unexpectedly brought me to a party out in the suburbs. I was turned around and lost. The people at the party were loud and rowdy. I felt so out of place, because deep down I was a shy, lost little girl who was far from home and didn’t know anyone.I sat in a corner of the room, keeping to myself while everyone partied around me. In the middle of the night a guy with a bandana around his head came waltzing in with a rifle stowed in his baggy jeans, bragging and laughing about how he had just scared an old man underneath a car and stolen his money at gunpoint. My anxiety hit hard, and I thought that if I didn’t act like I fit in he would try to intimidate me too by pointing the gun in my direction.The next day I told my friend that I wanted to go home. I couldn’t dare stay at that house another night, so I told her I’d rather stay in a shelter. I checked into a youth shelter in the inner city, and my anxiety spiked through the roof. I felt so small, lost and alone. I was more afraid than I had ever been before. I managed to borrow enough money for a cheap bus ticket home. It was April and the ice on the rivers and lakes was rapidly melting, but the bus driver pushed on over the ice road, and as we crossed the mighty Mackenzie, he assured us passengers that it was safe enough to drive on. The bus was half submerged in the melted water that pooled on the surface of the ice, but we made it across safely, to everyone’s surprise. Not long afterward, the bus starting slowly filling with smoke. The water had gotten into the battery, causing it to leak. Everyone on the bus had to hurry off and huddle in the cold on the side of the road waiting for someone to come and help. When darkness fell, I hitched a ride home down the old dirt road that I had gotten to know so well, and I swore to myself that I would never run away again for as long as I lived.* * *Catherine Lafferty grew up in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where she was primarily raised by her grandparents, who instilled in her a sense of pride in who she is and where she comes from. Catherine honours her First Nation background through her position as a Council Member for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. Her hobbies include writing, creating music and film, and spending time with her family.* * *Purchase a copy of Northern Wildflower for 15% OFF until January 31, and stay tuned for more Read the Provinces featured authors all month long here on All Lit Up. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with the hashtag #ALUreadtheprovinces.