Author Darrel J. McLeod, known for his intimate and thought-provoking writing about Cree experiences, has died at the age of 67.
McLeod’s publisher, Douglas & McIntyre, confirmed his death on Aug. 30.
McLeod is the writer of two memoirs and one novel, which he published after retiring from a remarkable career as a chief negotiator of land claims for the federal government and executive director of education and international affairs with the Assembly of First Nations.
His first book, the memoir Mamaskatch, won one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious literary prizes, the Governor General’s Literary Award for nonfiction. It was also on the longlist for Canada Reads 2024.
“It was an honour to work with Darrel McLeod over the past 10 years, in his too brief but meteoric writing career,” said a spokesperson for Douglas & McIntyre over the phone to CBC Books. Douglas & McIntyre published all three of his books.
Mamaskatch tells the story of McLeod’s upbringing on Treaty 8 territory in northern Alberta, raised by his fierce Cree mother, Bertha. In describing memories of moose stew and wild peppermint tea, surrounded by siblings and cousins, he outlines his mother’s experiences as a residential school survivor and how she taught him to be proud of his heritage.
“She was incredibly smart and very strong-willed,” he said in a 2018 interview on The Next Chapter. “She had a strong spirit and wouldn’t let herself be defeated.”
“She wanted to pass that pride of being Cree onto us. She used to lecture us constantly and repeatedly tell us to be proud of who you are, to not be ashamed or let anyone else feel that they’re better than you.”
His second memoir, Peyakow, which was shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, continues where Mamaskatch left off. McLeod writes about his youth in poverty, being bullied by white classmates, enduring physical and sexual abuse and losing several people he loved — and how family bonds, determination and strength of character ultimately helped him succeed.
12:57Darrel J. McLeod on Peyakow: Reclaiming Cree Dignity
Darrel J. McLeod talks to Shelagh Rogers on Peyakow: Reclaiming Cree Dignity
“When love works, when it’s all there, it is an incredible force and it gives us this life force that will endure whatever else gets thrown at us,” he said in a 2021 interview on The Next Chapter.
“[McLeod] was ‘love on legs’, kindness personified and also a great fighter for Indigenous rights and justice and equity,” wrote Shelagh Rogers, the former host of The Next Chapter in a Facebook post. “And a powerful storyteller. A beautiful singer. So gifted. A genius at being human.”
A Season in Chezgh’un, his most recent book, published in 2023, was his first foray into fiction. The novel is a year in the life of a Nehiyaw man, who, stunned by the untimely death of his mother, moves to a remote northern Dakelh community to reconnect with his heritage.
“Darrel was a beloved and respected author, for so many reasons,” wrote friend and literary publicist Corina Eberle in an email to CBC Books. “He was an extraordinary example of compassion, intelligence, curiosity, resilience and deep humanity. His writing provided encouragement and acknowledgement for readers, in a way that sustained them far beyond the pages of his books.”