Maria Campbell

Maria Campbell (born April 26, 1940 near Park Valley, Saskatchewan) is a Métis author, playwright, broadcaster, filmmaker, and Elder. Campbell is a fluent speaker of four languages: Cree, Michif, Western Ojibwa, and English. Four of her published works have been published in eight countries and translated into four other languages (German, Chinese, French, Italian). Campbell has had great influence in her community as she is very politically involved in activism and social movements. Campbell is well known for being the author of Halfbreed, a memoir describing her own experiences as a Métis woman in society and the difficulties she has faced, which are commonly faced by many other women both within and outside of her community. Background Campbell is the oldest of eight children, and had to drop out of school to care for her siblings when her mother died. She moved to Vancouver at age fifteen, but returned to Saskatchewan in her twenties and became an organizer in her community. In 1969 she published Many Laws, a handbook that explained the issues faced by Indigenous people who move into cities. Campbell remembers early stages of her life in her community when her and her siblings learned how to hunt and trap, dance, play the fiddle, and learned the use for roots, herbs and barks. In Campbell's settlement, her family consisted of groups titled "The Isbisters", "Campbells", and "Vandals". Campbell's family was a mix of Scottish, French, Cree, English and Irish. Campbell recalls her experiences at school in Spring River. Her experiences demonstrate the racism that occurred within her community. Those who were white and those who were Métis were divided, and many Métis children were bullied by white children. Campbell had negative attitudes towards school, resulting in feelings of resentment towards her community and family.