[PDF]Aiyyana Maracle Fonds Inventory

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University of Victoria Special Collections


University of Victoria Special Collections
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Atyyana Maracle fonds


1. Fonds-level description


Title

Atyyana Maracle fonds
Dates

1964-2016

Extent

20 boxes

Biographical sketch


Atyyana Maracle (1950-2016) was a transgender Haudenosaunee artist and educator, born on Six
Nations territory near Grand River, Ont., to Leonard and Kitty Maracle. She was one of six
children, and was assigned male at birth. After her family was evicted from the reservation—due
to her father’s lack of official Indian status—they moved to Rochester, N.Y. then Buffalo, N.Y.
Maracle later became estranged from her family, and spent time in Vancouver, Toronto,
Chippewa territory, and Montreal. She married and had four sons before beginning her gender
transition at age 40, and ultimately returned to Six Nations territory in 2010 with her son.

Maracle was a multi-disciplinary artist, whose art explored her experience as a First
Nations person and created and directed performance art, theatre pieces, and art installations. Her
performance art includes “Gender M6bius” at grunt gallery (1995) and an untitled piece at
“LIVE at the End of the Century” festival (1999). In 1992 she began curating queer and
Indigenous arts festivals, including The Queer Series/Two Spirit Festival (grunt gallery, 1993)
and women @ the front 30" anniversary exhibition (Western Front, 2003). She won Canada
Council’s 1997 John Hirsch Prize for “the most artistically exciting new director of promise in
Canadian Theatre.” She was also a seamstress, filmmaker, and painter, and created her garments
and sets for her performance work.

As writer, Maracle wrote an unpublished autobiography, Chronicle of a Transformed
Woman, as well as plays, exhibition anthologies, and essays, such as “Journey in Gender”
published in torquere (2001). She took her MFA at Goddard College (2003-2005). From 2002 to
2007, Maracle taught courses and delivered guest lectures at Emily Carr Institute of Art and
Design, Concordia University, and other Canadian and international universities. She returned to
Six Nations territory in 2010 and from 2012, she co-facilitated Gender Journey, a peer support
group in Brantford, Ont. She passed away at her home on April 24th, 2016.


Scope and content


The fonds documents Aiyyana Maracle life and work as performance artist and writer, creator of
and participant in arts festivals, her committee and conference work, scholarship, teaching, Six
Nations land rights activism, transgender visibility and health projects, and personal activities.
Records consist of textual records, graphic material, analog and digital sound and video


recordings, and objects. Objects are comprised of garments, masks, accessories, animal bones
and skins, and miscellaneous objects used in performance art and art installations.

The fonds is arranged into ten series: performance art, visual art, writing, scholarship,
conferences and committees, Six Nations activism, two-spirit and transgender material,
notebooks and loose notes, personal records, and bibliographic records.


Notes
Accessions: 2017-030, 2018-013, 2020-010


Confidential third-party information is restricted, and requires completion of a research
agreement prior to access.


Related material: Leonard and Kitty Maracle fonds (RBSC-ARC-1351) available at University
of British Columbia Library Rare Books and Special Collections:
http://rbscarchives.library.ubc.ca/downloads/leonard-and-kitty-maracle-fonds.pdf


Sources:


Couillard, Paul. “In Memoriam: Aiyyana Maracle.” 7a*11d. 7a*11d International Festival of
Performance Art, September 3, 2018. http://7a-11d.ca/in-memoriam-aiyyana-maracle/.


Page, Morgan M. “Aiyyana Maracle.” The Queer Bible. The Queer Bible, March 2, 2017.
https://www.queerbible.com/queerbible/2017/7/1 1/atyyana-maracle-by-morgan-m-page.


2. Structure


Series 1. Performance art. 1964-2012.

Series consists of material related to performance art, plays, and festivals, produced by Aiyyana
Maracle and others. Series also includes material from Maracle’s residency at Banff Centre
Aboriginal Arts Program.


Subseries 1. Writing. 2001-2012.

Subseries consists of manuscripts, notes, outlines, musical scores, and related art for films
and plays. Titles include Whispers of the Grandmothers, Sometimes the Body Just Doesn't
Match the Mind, T(h)ree Stories, Medicine Boy by Waawaate Fobister, Gender Mobius,
musical score to Coyote and the Winter that Never Ends, Half-Bred, Catwalk, We Are Hoh
tinh oh Shon:ni, and Women and Freedom Under Attack. Many items are undated.


Subseries 2. Textual records. 1964-2005.

Subseries consists of peripheral textual records related to performances, plays, and festivals.
Documents include related correspondence, programs and booklets, notes, biographical
statements and CVs, documentation, material from residency at Banff Centre, calendars,
clippings and articles, and posters and flyers.


Subseries 3. Recordings. 1997-2009.

Subseries consists of digital and analog recordings of performances, including plays,
performance art, and spoken word. Performances include Chronicle of a Transformed
Women and other compilations of Aiyyana Maracle, and Witch Hunts & the Trials of the
New Millennium, directed by Maracle. Venues include Counting Past 2 festival and Vogue
Theatre in Vancouver, B.C. Videos are carried on VHS, DVM60, | ml cassette, 3/4"
cassette, and DVD.


Subseries 4. Applications and grants. 1997-2002.

Subseries consists of applications to Canada Council for the Arts, CCA assessment of
Bones, Banff Centre Studio Residency Agreement, and documentation regarding the John
Hirsch Prize.


Series 2. Visual art. 1975-2014.
Series consists of paintings, drawings, stencils, prints, garments and accessories, photographs,
and physical objects used in a variety of activities, including performances and artwork.


Subseries 1. Paintings, drawings, etc. 2002, n.d.

Subseries consists of paintings, sketchbook of drawings, prints, stencils, collage, and linocut
created by Aiyyana Maracle. Subseries also contains art by Janice Toulouse and Rebecca
Belmore. Most pieces are undated.


Subseries 2. Garments and accessories. 2014, n.d.


Subseries consists of garments created by Aiyyana Maracle such as dresses, skirts, fur and
fabric vests, jackets, masks and fur headpiece, and robes. Subseries also includes accessories
such as handmade metal nipples, jewelry, handmade Chinese fan, and two leather foot
pieces. Fur headpiece and tin box containing fur bracelets were featured in the 2014
Queering the International exhibition in Vancouver, B.C.’s Queer Arts Festival. Subseries
also includes red and black blanket labelled “Small Pox Blanket.”


Subseries 3. Photographs. 1975-1995.

Subseries consists of photographs, carried chiefly on slides. Subjects include self-portraits,
performances, “Aiyyana’s gender slideshow,” “High Heeled Moccasins,” and Indigenous
gatherings. Most photographs are undated.


Subseries 4. Physical objects. 2003, n.d.

Subseries consists of animal bones and skins, boxes, flute, perfume and lotion bottles,
stones, Mohawk angel craft, two exit signs and kits used in performances, and copper star.
Animal bones include owl skeleton and turtle shell with bag of bones. Subseries also
contains empty scent container with “personal scent” description, which is a visitor souvenir
from Shawna Dempsey and Lori Millan’s 2003 performance “reminiscent.”


Series 3. Writing. 1985-2004.
Series consists of poetry and prose by Atyyana Maracle and others. Most items are undated.


Subseries 1. Poetry and prose. 1985-1995, n.d.

Subseries consists of poems, prose, hymns, songs, and prayers written by Aiyyana Maracle,
as well as collaborations with Lee Maracle created prior to Aiyyana Maracle’s gender
transition.


Subseries 2. Writing by others. 2004, n.d.

Subseries consists of writing by Aityyana Maracle’s correspondents. Manuscripts include
poems from Menominee writer Chrystos, Warren Arcan’s draft manuscript for Reunion of
Broken Parts, three-day novel written by Jan Kudelka, short story written by Anna
Fuerstenberg, and writing by Maracle’s sister.


Series 4. Scholarship. 1995-2007.

Series consists of material documenting Aityyana Maracle’s academic research, her thesis
composed at Goddard College’s MFA residency program, essays, classes taught at Concordia
University and McGill University, and applications and grants.


Subseries 1. Research. 2003-2007, n.d.

Subseries consists of research material used in pursuit of Aiyyana Maracle’s MFA thesis,
her teaching at McGill University and Concordia University, and personal essays. Material
includes academic articles and book chapters, reports, notes, ethics review, Goddard College
handouts, and related correspondence.


Subseries 2. Writing. 1995-2005.
Subseries consists of essays, MFA residency thesis, and material towards Chronicle of a
Transformed Women. Material also includes drafts and excerpts.


Subseries 3. Teaching. 2006-2007.

Subseries consists of material from Aiyyana Maracle’s teaching at Concordia University,
where she taught Native Literature, and McGill University, where she was a visiting scholar.
Material includes presentations, syllabi, course outlines and coursepacks, correspondence,
student and class information, book order forms and receipts, class work, student resources,
photocopied stories and chapters, student evaluations, and questionnaires.


Subseries 4. Applications and grants. 2003-2007.

Subseries consists of scholarship-related applications and grants, including her application
and award to Goddard College’s MFA residency program from the National Aboriginal
Achievement Foundation. Material also includes student loan applications, faculty
biographies, related correspondence, and teaching application forms and information.


Series 5. Conferences and committees. 1997-2007.

Series consists of manuals, minutes, schedules, correspondence, reports, and financial documents
from the following committees: Brant Historical Society Board, Human Rights Commission,
Indigenous Women’s Symposium, Critical Race Studies Conference, Symposium of Indigenous
Cultures at McGill University, Subcommittee on First Peoples Equity at McGill University,
Two-Spirit Women of First Nations Conference, Two Spirit and Trans Conference, Canadian
Critical Race Conference, Resolutions and Ruptures: Sexual and Gender Diversity and the
Spaces In-Between, Dirty Gender Secrets Conference, Dialogue Maker Series (2006-2007) at
Simon Fraser University, National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, LGBT Health
Association, Zenith Foundation, Writing Trans Genres Conference, University of Guelph
Sexuality Conference, and Greater Vancouver Native Cultural Society.


Series 6. Six Nations activism. 1994-2009.
Series consists of video recordings of protests, article photocopies, memorandums and speaking
notes for Haudenosaunee land claim of Welland Canal Settlement, Six Nations Council meeting
agendas and notes, related correspondence, documents from “Native Women Speak” meeting,
and literature regarding archeology on Six Nations land.

Series also documents the 2008 Six Nations Pageant directed by Aiyyana Maracle, and
includes video recordings, flyers, correspondence, financial records, and planning documents.


Series 7. Two-spirit and transgender material. 2001-2010.

Series consists of video recording of The Transsexuality Workshops presented by Marjorie Anne
Napewastewin Schutzer, Drag King trading cards, correspondence with Mirrha Soleil Ross,
document titled “2 Spirited People of the 1*t Nations”, material regarding peer support group
creation and facilitation, and reports and publications.


Series 8. Notebooks and loose notes. 1992-2016.

Series consists of notebooks, loose notes, day planners, and calendars. Topics include essays,
performances and events, art, contact information, transgender theory, surgery, panels, teaching,
literature and videos, and her art residency. Most items are undated.


Series 9. Personal records. 1975-2016.

Series is arranged into four subseries: documents, photographs and videos, correspondence, and
ephemera. Material includes official documents, ancestry and family records, records of gender
affirmation surgery, health records, personal correspondence, financial records, manuals, and
house plans.


Subseries 1. Documents. 1984-2016.

Subseries contains documents such as the will of Jeanne Marguerite France Carter, list of
descendants of Henry Maracle, official documents and applications, family tree diagrams,
several birth certificates, records of gender affirmation surgery, disability and health records,
and literature from the BC Human Rights Commission on Disability.


Subseries 2. Photographs and videos. 1975-1995.
Subseries consists of personal photographs and videos. Many videos are unlabelled. Videos
are housed on DVM60 cassettes, MiniDV cassettes (26 cassettes), and DVDs.


Subseries 3. Correspondence. 2003, n.d.
Subseries consists of personal and business correspondence.


Subseries 4. Miscellaneous and ephemera. 2005-2014, n.d.

Subseries consists of financial records, receipts, manuals and informational pamphlets,
veterinary bills, house plans, and recipe for “Wooin’ Salad”. Subseries also contains
unidentified 3.5 in. floppy disks (approx. 25).


Series 10. Bibliographic material. 1969-2015, n.d.