Martin Carriere

Born in Vancouver in 1957, I spent my first several weeks in the hospital in an incubator. Whether it was the absence from my family, or something I was born with, my desire to reconnect with my greater family has governed all of my life’s activities. Through experiencing family get-togethers at my grandmother’s in Manitoba, our Bois Brule homeland; and growing up near our Blackfoot and Cree cousins in Alberta, my insatiable desire to learn about and meet all of our true family has consumed almost every step of my journey. When majoring in English and creative writing, while attending university in Alberta, it became plain to me that I needed to learn more on the subject of our family if I were to write or speak of it to anyone. I do have two children; my latest arrived for my fortieth birthday. Since an early age I have been a father figure and helped raise several children, now adults. Most of my free time now is spent digging into old books and records, or dancing at our gatherings, or meeting with the traditional heads of our families. I began meeting with different members and branches of our family around 1982 and have continued this journey from coast to coast and on both sides of the border.