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Indians Do Cry: A Hockey Survivance Story
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Journalist and storyteller Duncan McCue began his research in the winter of 2023. Following several meetings over Zoom in spring of 2023, George Kenny and Mike Auksi confirmed their willingness to participate in the project to share their Survivance stories.
Duncan engaged in further research over the summer of 2023, particularly seeking an Indigenous graphic artist with whom to partner. In the fall of 2023, Anishinaabe graphic artist Mangeshig confirmed his willingness to join the project. Around this time, Duncan conducted his first in-person interviews with Mike Auksi, travelling to Sioux Lookout, Ontario for site visits and research. Unfortunately, a planned interview session with George Kenny had to be postponed due to George’s health.
During the winter of 2024, Duncan hired research assistants and began developing the story narrative. In the spring of 2024, Mike and Duncan travelled to Thunder Bay to conduct in-person interviews with George. Duncan drafted the manuscript for in the summer/fall of 2024. Mangeshig will spend winter of 2024/25 completing the first visual draft. His initial character sketches and thumbnails are shared here. Anticipated completion is summer of 2025.
Image 1. Mike Auksi’s elite amateur hockey career culminated in playing for the Estonian national team in the Olympic qualifiers in 2015 and 2016. (Photo supplied by Mike Auksi)
Image 2. Father and son celebrate Mike’s role winning the championship at the Northern Bands tournament in early 2000s. (Photo supplied by Mike Auksi)
Image 3. Mike Auksi and Duncan McCue travelled to Sioux Lookout in fall of 2023, where they conducted research that included an evening of hockey with Sioux Lookout Aces. (Photo credit Duncan McCue)
Meeting Mike and George
The working title of our graphic novel is “Indians Do Cry: A Hockey Survivance Story.”
It’s the story of a father and son, the devastating impacts of a so-called school, and the healing power of a game.
George Kenny, the father, is Anishinaabe from the Lac Seul First Nation in northwestern Ontario. He was taken from his family at age 7, to attend the Pelican Falls Indian Residential School near Sioux Lookout, where he endured eight difficult years. Hockey saved him, he says, becoming an outlet for his energy, misery and desperation to escape what he describes as a prison. George later became a successful journalist and author – notably of an acclaimed work of fiction and poetry called Indians Don’t Cry. However, the wounds he suffered at residential school marred his personal life.
Mike Auksi, George’s son, was raised by his Estonian mother in the city of Toronto. Mike’s childhood was greatly affected by intergenerational trauma, but he overcame early hardships to complete two university degrees. An elite amateur hockey player, Mike played Canadian varsity hockey and competed internationally for the Estonian national team. He is currently a doctoral student at McGill University. His thesis focuses on the hockey history of Lac Seul First Nation.
While George and Mike’s ruptured relationship will help readers understand the genocidal design and intergenerational impacts of Indian residential schools, their father-son healing journey is ultimately full of hope. By framing this as a sports memoir, we anticipate the book will reach broad audiences in a hockey-obsessed country such as Canada.