“Some part of me has always heard the music of a greater dance,” she states. “I have moved and been moved throughout my life…seeking my purpose, making my way, choosing my paths, trailblazing where a path did not exist.”
These beautiful remnants of words are just the prologue to Marjorie Beaucage’s new poetry memoir collection, Leave Some for the Birds: Movements for Justice and a sneak-peak into her life of advocations.
A Two-Spirited Métis, one who carries cultural traditions, Beaucage is a powerful Indigenous artist, creator. From filmmaker and author to art-ivist and educator, Beaucage displays multidisciplinary talents such as film, writing and spoken word that exude the strength of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Gender Equality and Reduced Inequalities through her creative works and advocations for Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and gender-based rights. With the expression of Indigenous and gender issues in her art, Beaucage is Turtle Island’s powerhouse and influential creator.
Late last month, Beaucage published her newest collection, Leave Some for the Birds: Movements for Justice, with Kegedonce Press. With mentions of it at the 34th Word on the Street event, Beaucage uses this memoir to reflect on seven decades of living and seeking justice as a Two Spirit Michif woman. In the prologue of her book, she explains that “each ‘movement’ of [her] life has been an encounter with the injustices of colonialism and poverty, and as [she] collected these stories together, [she] saw themes that [her] younger activist self could have learned from.” No matter the project or creation–whether film or writing–it is clear that Beaucage consistently promotes what the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals stand for; specifically Gender Equality and Reduced Inequalities.
Born in Vassar, Manitoba, Beaucage spent 25 years in education and community organizing before becoming a filmmaker in her 40s and co-founding the Aboriginal Film and Video Art Alliance. With a main focus on documentaries that specify Indigenous and LGBTQ+ issues, each film is often collaborative in nature and has reflected the participation of Indigenous peoples in political forums, conferences, local activism and community events.
Throughout her recent book and all other creations, Beaucage uses references from real-life experiences to deepen the cause within the sustainable goals. Emphasizing Gender Equality and Reduced Inequalities, this book and the event she held explore how nonlinear language, repetition, and interruption can reveal the truth in a tale and the truth in Indigenous and LGBTQ+ issues.
Whether gender and sexuality equality or reduced inequalities for Indigenous peoples and the LGBTQ+ community, each film or book she made catered to these ideals through narratives and poems. From her book Leave Some for the Birds to her film Ntapueu... I am telling the truth, a document of the present Innu reality, her excellence and presence in advocating these goals and staying true to the Indigenous Auntie that carries traditions proves how important sustainability is in every aspect.
As said in the description of her latest collection, Leave Some for the Birds, Marjorie Beaucage’s aim is to offer guidance to young activists following in her footsteps and to provide a safe space for Indigenous and LGBTQ+ peoples and youth. Her life’s work has been about creating social change and working to give people the tools for creating possibilities and the right relations, and as June nears the middle of Pride Month, her work goes to show even further.
To learn more about Marjorie Beaucage and her latest collection, please visit the Kegedonce Press website. With further interest, you can watch a recorded version of the launch event for Leave Some for the Birds.