James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Award 2014

The James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing Award celebrates Aboriginal youth for their creative writing efforts and provides an opportunity for them to showcase their work to a broader audience. The Honourable James Bartleman was the 27th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (2002 – 2007). Mr. Bartleman was the first Aboriginal Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

“These six young writers represent exactly what this award is intended to encourage. They have taken their own unique experiences and married them with their creative writing talent to create stories that move us and expand our understanding of one another.”  -The Honourable James K. Bartleman, Former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

Every year up to six Aboriginal students each receive the award of $2,500, a framed certificate, and a trip for them and two guests to attend the awards ceremony.  Congratulations to the 2014 winners:

Brooklyne Amyot
for her poem that compares Canada to a playground.

Natalie Court
for her poem about the beauty in what we often call our flaws.

Krista Lee
for her essay on multiculturalism in Canadian society and the role of Aboriginal peoples.

Anawahs Migwans
for her story about a girl born with one blue eye and one brown eye.

Steven Okeese
for his short story about same-sex relationships and the struggle for acceptance from family.

Jada Sofeafor her essay on hope in her community of Webequie.

11. The Black Donnellys by Thomas P. Kelley

The "Black Donnellys" lived near Lucan, north of London, Ont., in the nineteenth century. This Irish family had a reputation for violence and lawlessness, and did much to alienate their neighbours in a running feud that was imported from Ireland. In February 1880, a vigilante committee descended on the Donnelly farmstead and took justice into their own hands, leading to a brutal and controversial outcome.

The terrible Donnelly feud, reportedly the most notorious and violent in the history of Canada, began in the spring of 1847 only hours after Irish immigrant James Donnelly arrived in the town of Lucan, Ontario. For almost 33 years murders, gang wars, robbery, mass arson, derailed trains, and mutilations marked the town.

This was an interesting read. Reading it, I felt as though  I was sitting on a porch listening to someone's grandfather trade tales of the infamous family with his friends.  Although a terrible tale of bullying, vengeance and violence it also reads a bit like small town gossip.  There are some fringe members of the family that seemed ignored by the author despite their own tragic involvement.  If they were guilty of anything other than being related to the Donnelly's the author failed to share it.


If anyone is interested in learning more, they can visit Lucan, Ontatio and stop by the Lucan Area Heritage and Donnelly Museum. You can even trace the path taken by the Vigilance Committee the night of February 3, and early morning hours of February 4, 1880 when the massacre occurred.