Myth Makers

by Debra Tillery

Myth Makers is a powerful story that measures the worth of two worlds…This story is epic, outstanding, a bridge between north and south. And through art one can discover its true center.—Reader’s Favourite Review

Few have even heard of the Sixties Scoop, but for Margaret Swiftfox, it meant being taken from her home and sent south to live with two old sisters. It meant learning early that she had to keep her aboriginal origins hidden.

Now in her forties, Margaret is a successful businesswoman and believes she has moved beyond the past, but when Elizabeth Lange plows into her world, she realizes that is a myth.

Kooky Elizabeth. Flaky Elizabeth. Failed Elizabeth. Elizabeth Lange has dealt with labels her whole life. While the curator position in the Northwest Territory gives her the chance to make up for what was taken from her, the desperate move is not for the fainthearted.

Right off the bat, conflict between the two women about the NWT’s arts leads to hostile face-offs. But when they travel across the Arctic, circumstance pushes both Elizabeth and Margaret to reveal their pasts and the legacy it’s left behind. Can this new-found friendship help them heal its trauma?

246 pages, Paperback

Published December 16, 2016

About the author

When researching the Canadian historical events of the Sixties Scoop and the residential schools system, in writing Margaret Swiftfox’s story, author Debra Tillery found herself asking, “What if that had been my child?” That single heartbreaking question became central to her writing of Margaret’s story.

Tillery spent her early career working in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon where she was a program coordinator for Arctic College in the Northwest Territories, Yukon College in Whitehorse, and for the Council of Yukon First Nations. She also worked as a consultant for Champagne and Aishihik and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nations. Her experience in these communities and her travels throughout the northern latitudes were deep experiences that lead her to the writing of Myth Makers.

Tillery is now retired and serves on the board of an artist’s society and The Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art in Kelowna, British Columbia.

Reviews

[Emily-Jane Orford · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is it that defines a person? What makes that person into the citizen of the world in which they live? Everyone faces their own unique challenges and difficulties in life, some face insurmountable obstacles, but still manage to both survive and succeed. For Margaret Swiftfox, a northern aboriginal woman whose childhood memories were shattered by separation from her family and placement into an adopted white family’s home, and for Elizabeth Lange, the white woman from Seattle, whose childhood dreams of becoming an artist were shattered by her family, the two women struggle to forge a peaceful alliance and even a friendship in the cold north where so many others have struggled to find some sense in their lives. As Elizabeth learns, “there two kinds of people who come here [the north]: those running away from themselves and those looking to find themselves."

For both women, the struggle to accept their pasts, to forgive events and people who shattered their equilibrium, there comes a need to step back from the busy world and to listen and learn from each other and from the gentle forces of nature. At one point, Elizabeth acknowledges Margaret’s need to find a place to quiet the mind. “In nature, when our mind’s chatter is quieted, we’re more connected to our internal being and so find things we intuitively know. I think when our attention is so distracted by the external world we forget how to listen to the things our bodies tell us internally.”

For Margaret, it’s about being aboriginal, and being appreciated and understood for what and who she is. For Elizabeth, it’s about being an artist, also appreciated and understood. For both women, it’s about understanding, appreciating and celebrating the commonalities and the differences between each other and each other’s culture.

This is a powerful story that measures the worth of two worlds. Like Hugh MacLennan's iconic 1945 novel “Two Solitudes”, which explores the vibrant dichotomies of Canada’s English and French population, author Debra Tillery’s novel, “Myth Makers”, explores two other, and equally significant, solitudes, that of the aboriginal and white civilizations of the far north. This story is epic, outstanding, a bridge between north and south. And through art, one can discover its true center.

Reviewed for Readers' Favorite, https://readersfavorite.com

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Myth Makers” was an intriguing story following two women. Margaret and Elizabeth. Elizabeth is traveling from Seattle to “the North” (northern Canada) to help curate an art exhibit of pieces made by local/indigenous artists. She is working with Margaret, who has a chip on her shoulder left from being part of the Sixties Scoop and trying to fit into a different world.

I found the pieces of Margaret’s past particularly fascinating and a great portrait of a young girl trying to fit in to white society- often at the cost of her own culture. It was heart-wrenching and well done from what we saw- I wish we had even more about her past and experiences, but the snippets we get certainly help to paint the picture of her character and where she stands today.

Elizabeth is dealing with her own, more recent, past with her daughter accompanying her on the trip and her feelings surrounding art. I will put in a content warning for rape and drug addiction. I would have liked to hear even more about the aboriginal people in this area and more details about their art, but what was included was fascinating and woven within the larger story well. Overall, it was an intriguing read.

Please note that I received a copy through a goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own.