Josee Bourgeois

My Canada 150 project involved creating a photograph of Josee Bourgeois dancing and performing a tobacco ceremony at the Chaudiere Falls in Ottawa. No First Nations person had performed a ceremony at this location since Champlain witnessed the event in 1613.
Josee Bourgeois is a member of the Algonquin’s of Pikwakanagan First Nations in the Ottawa Valley of Ontario. She began her journey as an accomplished contemporary dancer and competitive gymnast as a young girl, by the age of 13 Josee began a very successful International career as one of Canada’s only high fashion First Nations models. Over the last 10 years Josee has graduated College as Valedictorian, and worked for the Federal department of Corrections Canada in Nova Scotia.

In 2014 Josee moved back to her ancestral Algonquin territory of the Ottawa valley and since then she has been appointed by her communities Chief and Council to sit on the Memengweshii Culture and Heritage Advisory Board for the Zibi project in Ottawa. Josee now holds a long term position at The Wanaki Treatment center in Kitigan Zibi, as the Accreditation Coordinator.

To date, Josee has performed for Prince Charles, opened the National Arts Center’s new Indigenous Theater Program, starred in several theater productions in Nova Scotia, been featured in several music videos for Canadian artists and performed at Riverkeeper as well as the opening ceremonies for Cirque du Soleil in August 2017. She will dance on Parliament Hill to open the 2018 Christmas Lights across Canada upon returning from performing and teaching in Iqaluit.

The most interesting moment of the times I have photographed Josee involved the setup to the shot above. Wearing a hard hat and construction boots I ran 20 yards across the rockface she is standing on and reached down to pull out a weed tree that was bothering my composition. I cannot remember exactly her words, but her look indicated that I should leave the weed there as it belonged on this hard fought ground. It was then that I realized I was dealing with a force of nature.

At a time in our history where we are reevaluating our relationship with First Nations, Josee is one of many voices among my friends who is helping to move the discussion forward in a positive manner. Change comes from education…from anger…from wisdom…from humor and from art.