Cree writer pens book of short stories about growing up two-spirited in Eeyou Istcheen

Storm clouds loomed over the office skylight at Native Montreal as soft-spoken Mathias Jolly, a.k.a. Maloose, introduced the audience to his newly published book Fragments.

The Mistissini-born man launched a self-published collection of short stories at the organization’s home on St-Jacques Street June 18.

“This book is 20 years in the making,” Maloose stated before sharing his life story with those assembled for the launch.

Maloose grew up in a loving home with his Cree grandparents in Mistissini. Although his family cared for him greatly and groomed him to be a leader, Maloose was different, and felt like he didn’t belong in the community.

According to Maloose, he was constantly bullied growing up as a two-spirited person.

“I always feel at peace when I’m in the bush,” Maloose told the Nation. He relates to the land, though he stopped hunting with his father after moving to Chibougamau.

It was at MacLean Memorial School in Chibougamau that Maloose and his high-school classmates were urged by their English teacher to express themselves during weekly writing sessions. These sessions, Maloose explained, led him to develop his writing skills, and his teacher encouraged him in a possible career path.

Maloose described his high-school experience in Chibougamau as lonely, since he was “the only Cree.” But he focused on these skills, which would eventually allow him to write Fragments.

“It’s something I have a knack for,” Maloose said when discussing his writing. “But it wasn’t something that I thought about, or as a career.”

He went on to work for the Cree Nation Government for some time.

It was during this period that his grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and his brother died in a car accident. Maloose went through a period of intense grieving for which he sought therapy.

In 2008, Maloose survived an alleged sexual assault by a work colleague that left him in emotional tatters. He decided to ask for an educational leave to pursue his studies in Vancouver. Although he now understands that this may have been a form of escapism.

While in Vancouver, Maloose dropped out of school, was plagued by suicidal thoughts and turned to alcohol to cope. Eventually he ended up in a rehabilitation centre.

This period of his life is symbolized by the polar bear ornament that topped the stack of hardcover books on the table at the launch.

“In 2015-2016, I hit way below rock-bottom. People say there is rock bottom. I went beyond that.”

Maloose explained that he was diagnosed with dysthymia, an affliction described as persistent depression. By then he had moved back to Quebec and was living in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu with relatives who offered their home as a refuge when he was on disability leave. Maloose dedicated his book to them saying, “It’s about taking care – and who takes care of us?”

Hail started pelting the skylight at Native Montreal as Maloose opened a copy of Fragments and began to read. It was a historical short story about love and loss with a contemporary perspective – and it was beautiful.

After the reading, Lori Schubert, the Executive Director of the Quebec Federation of Writers, was impressed. “Not everybody can write,” Schubert said. “I work for a writers’ organization, and I can’t write like that. I mean I can write the language, but it’s not the language, it’s the ideas, the thoughts, the depth and perception, that make you a writer.”

Maloose told the Nation that he had a hard time getting a publishing deal, so he turned to FriesenPress, an independent self-publishing company that published his work for a fee.

The message of Fragments is essentially that the reader of his stories, a person who relates to these themes and life experiences, may feel powerless – however it’s our decision and responsibility to move forward or not.

His stories deal with multiple themes – death, violence, grieving, sexual orientation and Cree culture. Although the stories are stand-alone pieces, when put together they are fragments that express the message that healing is possible.

“I am confident and proud that I did this,” Maloose said. “My healing was through expression.”

Fragments is available online as an ebook on iTunes and Amazon, and in hardcover and paperback via Friesenpress.com