Within each of us lies a story that reveals the uniqueness of our lives. Indigenous author Richard Van Camp knows the importance of enshrining such knowledge and is now preparing to share his storytelling gathering methods to ensure some of those stories become a cherished part of one鈥檚 family history.

A master storyteller originally from Fort Smith, Van Camp said he was approached by the University of Victoria last year and asked if he would create an online course 鈥渢hat celebrates the power of storytelling and the power of reclaiming family medicines.鈥�

Hence, the Recovering Family Medicine Through Story course will be offered by Van Camp this fall. He will also begin his term as the Indigenous storyteller-in-residence for 2024-25.

鈥淚t's really been my dream job the last couple of months to track down some of the greatest storytellers in my entire life, interview them again on video, and get the stories that have made my jaw drop, and be able to put them online for our students,鈥� Van Camp said of his preparatory work for the course.

鈥淎nd that's really what this course is about. It's about reclaiming whatever medicines you need for yourself and your family and your community.

鈥淎nd I'm talking anything from names, languages, songs, prayers, ceremonies, cooking techniques, baking techniques, harvesting techniques or anything from gardening techniques to looming and gardening and sewing and porcupine quill work,鈥� he said of the 鈥渕edicine鈥� that makes one鈥檚 life whole and inspiring.

Van Camp said the course will appeal especially to those who enjoy ancestry and documenting family gatherings and celebrations, or digitizing and uploading family videos.

鈥淚f you're the one that's haunting the archives and gathering photos and more information for other people, we are your people,鈥� he said.

Van Camp considers himself fortunate because living in this era means he can preserve and incorporate the stories and history he has collected over his years as a writer into modern forms of technology, such as SoundCloud, Messenger, closed captioning, and YouTube, enabling him to share videos of past events containing people that have long since passed away.

鈥淚t has been just an absolute joy... here we get to see them dance again and smile again and laugh again and I think that's really powerful. It can be really soothing and mending and comforting for all of us really grieving our loved ones,鈥� he said.

The Indigenous way

Dr. Stephen Ross, an English professor at the University of Victoria, said while the course is part of an effort to take action towards reconciliation, it is more so about 鈥渁cknowledging the importance of Indigenous ways of knowing and communicating knowledge in an academic setting for a wider audience which has often marginalized or dismissed those ways of knowing.鈥�

Ross said academic institutions often rely on colonial models of knowledge production and dissemination.

鈥淗aving someone as vibrant, energetic and approachable as Richard serve as the inaugural storyteller-in-residence is huge for the university and really for all of us 鈥� for anyone who wants to participate in the courses.鈥�

Ross said he has confidence in Van Camp鈥檚 ability to 鈥渂ring in a wide audience from across a host of different lifestyles, classes and social origins.鈥�

鈥淩ichard is the one to do it. I personally am incredibly grateful for his generosity and all the collaborators we have been able to bring in to work together to make this a reality. We've also had just amazing support from across the university and at the highest levels.鈥�

Celebrating the stories

Van Camp said he looks forward to making 鈥渆verybody鈥檚 trail a little bit easier down the road when approaching Elders and knowledge-keepers,鈥� as he hears and shares the 鈥渕iracle stories鈥� from participants across the globe.

鈥淎nd I think, you know, this course is really a celebration of what it means to be human together during these overwhelming times.

鈥淟ike, what better time to have stories that bring hope, because those who have hope have everything.鈥�