Turtle Island
Shannon Leddy first met Dorothy (Sekan) Visser (nee Whiskeyjack) around 2015 when she was invited to join a beginner Cree class at the Native Education Centre in Vancouver. Since then, she has returned to Dorothy’s classes as often as she can, but the two have also built a friendship that extends beyond language lessons. We are deeply grateful for Elder Dorothy’s willingness to share her story with us and join us in this important work.
All members of the Vancouver Turtle Island project met in early November to establish the timeline for their collaboration. Gathering at a White Spot in Surrey, over the course of lunch we shared stories, many of which were accompanied by a lot of laughter. We did accomplish our agenda, deciding that interviews will begin in April, with the final draft of the graphic novel due in the fall. We also hope to share initial drafts of Natasha’s work at our AGM in June, which will be hosted at UBC and centred on the graphic novelists engaged in this work with us.
Getting to know Dorothy
Dorothy Visser is a nehiyaw Elder from the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Treaty Six territory, also known as Alberta. At the age of six she was sent to the Blue Quills Indian Residential School near St. Paul, Alberta. Her time there was only made tolerable by the many early teachings, including language and cultural knowledge, given to her by her parents and grandparents. After surviving a bout of tuberculosis as a teenager, during which time she was sent to an Indian hospital to recuperate, Dorothy went on to become a nurse, and eventually married and had seven children, who have now made her a grandmother and a great-grandmother. She has worked for many years as a language teacher, sharing her deep knowledge of nehiyawiwin (Cree) with students of all ages.
Conversations with Dorothy
Our research process involved four interviews, each of which took place in a different location around the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Our initial meeting took place at Shannon’s home in East Vancouver, followed by a meeting at the common room at Dorothy’s apartment building in Surrey. Our third interview took place at the Institute for Environmental Learning at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus, and our final interview took place in the social lounge at the Spruce Harbour Marina, close to Granville Island in Vancouver. These very convivial meetings took place over the course of about 18 months, and were always attended by graphic artist, Natasha Donovan, and researchers Biz Nijdam and Shannon Leddy. Our project videographer, Andy Rutter, joined us via Zoom from Denmark for the first meeting, directing our filming remotely, and then in person for the final three sessions.
Filming interviews at Dorothy’s residence in Surrey (left) and Spruce Harbour Marina (right), BC. Photo credit: Biz Nijdam.
Each interview was a new experience. Natasha had some support from our colleague, Duncan McCue, in how to navigate the interview process. We were very conscious that Natasha needed to build the pictures in her mind, so we encouraged her to take the lead with questions. Most often, Dorothy would share a story, and then Natasha would ask for some details. Shannon and Biz also piped in with their own questions from time to time, especially since Shannon had heard some of Dorothy’s stories before, and wanted to ensure that her prior understanding of each story was accurate as well. Our conversations generally lasted about an hour, and in every instance, except for the final interview, we took the time to hold a smudging ceremony before we began in order to clear our minds and set a good tone for our work together. We also shared food each time we met, sometimes bringing it along, sometimes going out for lunch afterwards, or sometimes ordering food in. All in all, our meetings were very lively and social, with lots of laughter along with the tears.
Graphic Novel
Coming soon…
Documentary Film
Kokum Dorothy’s Story: We Can Still Sing and Dance (2025)
The Turtle Island Research Cluster completed filming their short documentary film, directed by Andy Rutter, in the summer of 2025. The film features conversations between Dorothy and Natasha and how she will transform Dorothy’s life experiences into a graphic novel with the goal of creating a compelling visual biography to foster understanding, promote healing, and ensure these vital stories of Indigenous resilience are amplified globally. Research Cluster Co-Leads Biz and Shannon also participated in the documentary film, emphasizing the unique ability of comics to convey complex histories and engage young readers, making Visser’s experiences more accessible and impactful.