source: Farm and Food Report
Saskatchewan poet Gary Hyland sees culture in rural Saskatchewan's every facet of life.
"My family members all grew up on a homestead in Woodrow, southwest of Moose Jaw. I have always had a close connection to the land on my mother's side. Many of my friends come from rural Saskatchewan. Many are authors themselves or citizens who enjoy successful careers in the arts. And yet, it seems rural Saskatchewan rarely gets the attention it deserves in terms of its contributions to Saskatchewan's cultural identity."
Recognition, it seems, is in the works. Gary Hyland was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in February. Here is how the official announcement described his own contribution:
"Gary Hyland was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in 1940. After obtaining a B.A., B. Ed. from the University of Saskatchewan he taught high school English. He was a founder of the Moose Jaw Movement which included Lorna Crozier, Ed Dyck, and Robert Currie, among others. His books After Atlantis and White Crane Spreads Wings won Saskatchewan Writers Guild poetry manuscript awards. He is the founder and artistic coordinator of the Saskatchewan Festival of Words."
Hyland's journey as a community activist is greeted with encouraging small victories that provide him and others the kind of inspiration that catches like prairie fire.
"I am constantly amazed at how many rural communities are really coming out with innovative concepts to make themselves more sustainable, such as the festivals in Gravelbourg, Swift Current, Coronach and Maple Creek; the theatres in Assiniboia, Rosthern, and Meacham; and the way towns like Tugaske and Ruddell are attracting artists with low-cost housing."
What Hyland finds particularly encouraging is how these cultural events are not only attracting urbanites on a quest for new sensations, but also rural Saskatchewan residents -- who, until now, had this unfulfilled longing for artistic and cultural events where they would see themselves portrayed as complex individuals with a life rich beyond what conventional wisdom would recognize in them until now.
"Central to the current renewal that I see is this authentic vision -- authenticity meaning staying as close as we can to the original ways and facts as we know them. Moose Jaw is looking at a Heritage Centre project to interpret the uses of the river valley through time. There is a long history there. This would mean honouring the truth about the early encounters between First Nations, early explorers and settlers in the area. We must respect the wisdom of those who have gotten to know and appreciate this land, rather that to superimpose a history shaped to arouse the interest of tourists."
Hyland believes there is an inherent narrative component to the land, waiting for interpretation -- waiting to be captured by the worthy.
"When I travel to Willow Bunch I want to see it the way local inhabitants see it. This requires a bit of work on the part of visitors. You can't experience the essence of a community without investing a bit of time there -- investing yourself in it. One of the aspects of life that distinguishes us in rural Saskatchewan is this accessible leisure quality that connects us to a certain sense of peace in Radville or at Thompson Lake, just to name a couple of places."
In Hyland's opinion, that stimulation of the mind through the elements and the special closeness to the land rural folks have developed and earned over the last century could well lead us -- collectively as a society -- to crops we hadn't thought of harvesting -- until now, that is.
For more information, contact:
Gary Hyland
g.hyland@sasktel.net
http://www.garyhyland.com
Saskatchewan poet Gary Hyland sees culture in rural Saskatchewan's every facet of life.
"My family members all grew up on a homestead in Woodrow, southwest of Moose Jaw. I have always had a close connection to the land on my mother's side. Many of my friends come from rural Saskatchewan. Many are authors themselves or citizens who enjoy successful careers in the arts. And yet, it seems rural Saskatchewan rarely gets the attention it deserves in terms of its contributions to Saskatchewan's cultural identity."
Recognition, it seems, is in the works. Gary Hyland was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in February. Here is how the official announcement described his own contribution:
"Gary Hyland was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in 1940. After obtaining a B.A., B. Ed. from the University of Saskatchewan he taught high school English. He was a founder of the Moose Jaw Movement which included Lorna Crozier, Ed Dyck, and Robert Currie, among others. His books After Atlantis and White Crane Spreads Wings won Saskatchewan Writers Guild poetry manuscript awards. He is the founder and artistic coordinator of the Saskatchewan Festival of Words."
Hyland's journey as a community activist is greeted with encouraging small victories that provide him and others the kind of inspiration that catches like prairie fire.
"I am constantly amazed at how many rural communities are really coming out with innovative concepts to make themselves more sustainable, such as the festivals in Gravelbourg, Swift Current, Coronach and Maple Creek; the theatres in Assiniboia, Rosthern, and Meacham; and the way towns like Tugaske and Ruddell are attracting artists with low-cost housing."
What Hyland finds particularly encouraging is how these cultural events are not only attracting urbanites on a quest for new sensations, but also rural Saskatchewan residents -- who, until now, had this unfulfilled longing for artistic and cultural events where they would see themselves portrayed as complex individuals with a life rich beyond what conventional wisdom would recognize in them until now.
"Central to the current renewal that I see is this authentic vision -- authenticity meaning staying as close as we can to the original ways and facts as we know them. Moose Jaw is looking at a Heritage Centre project to interpret the uses of the river valley through time. There is a long history there. This would mean honouring the truth about the early encounters between First Nations, early explorers and settlers in the area. We must respect the wisdom of those who have gotten to know and appreciate this land, rather that to superimpose a history shaped to arouse the interest of tourists."
Hyland believes there is an inherent narrative component to the land, waiting for interpretation -- waiting to be captured by the worthy.
"When I travel to Willow Bunch I want to see it the way local inhabitants see it. This requires a bit of work on the part of visitors. You can't experience the essence of a community without investing a bit of time there -- investing yourself in it. One of the aspects of life that distinguishes us in rural Saskatchewan is this accessible leisure quality that connects us to a certain sense of peace in Radville or at Thompson Lake, just to name a couple of places."
In Hyland's opinion, that stimulation of the mind through the elements and the special closeness to the land rural folks have developed and earned over the last century could well lead us -- collectively as a society -- to crops we hadn't thought of harvesting -- until now, that is.
For more information, contact:
Gary Hyland
g.hyland@sasktel.net
http://www.garyhyland.com
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