What began as a partnership with her late father, author, lawyer and Crown Prosecutor, Harold Johnson, has grown into her life’s work for Harmony Johnson-Harder.
Harold Johnson wrote the story, Kookum Magic, and Johnson-Harder continues to share it with the world.
The story relates the experiences of Johnson’s mother, grandmother and other women as Montreal Lake Cree Nation (MLCN) living in their homeland and being forced to move to make way for the creation and development of, what is now, Prince Albert National Park.
Johnson-Harder created a workshop to illustrate the resilience of Indigenous people and share the legacy of storytelling she has taken around the country in the past few months. She shared the story her father wrote, giving people time to listen and also think of their own stories.
A self-taught artist, Johnson-Harder created a painting too.
She talked of the importance of story and storytelling in Indigenous culture. She also talks of her grandmother and her teachings to a very young, Harmony.
“We are story,” she said.
People could create an art project, if they chose, with the suggested project, a symbolic Story stick, with sticks and objects available for use in their creations.
The evening ended with a talking circle giving participants an opportunity to share their stories.
She organized workshops for the Northern Educational and Cultural Tour through Pahkisimon Nuye?áh Library System (PNLS) communities in September.
Throughout the week, Johnson-Harder and PNLS manager James Hope Howard travelled with the project to libraries in: Montreal Lake Cree Nation (MLCN); Pinehouse Lake; Senator Myles Venne School (SMVS); Ile-a-la-Crosse: Beauval; La Loche; Buffalo Narrows; and La Ronge at the Alex Robertson Public Library.
More recently, during a week-long project, John-Harder worked with students in Pre Cam Community School’s Cree Emersion class, with separate events with community members during the evenings to share stories, memories and encourage others to do the same.
A highlight of the one evening event she spoke at was the importance of the strawberry in her grandmother’s teachings.
“It’s the first berry,” she said. And “it’s heart shaped.”
It’s particularly important to women, who are the strong people, people of the heart.
“We give life,” she said.
Through the stories and art works, Johnson-Harder, teaches the importance of ancestors in grounding children in their life, past, present and into the future.
She uses the strawberry, holding the slippers her grandmother created for her when she was a child, and then shows the group, the shawl she created with the strawberry central in the garment.
Johnson-Harder created Creative Consulting and Facilitation, with which she tours sharing art and stories – encouraging people to share their stories in a multi-faceted way.
The project Johnson-Harder and her father created was a “Respect and Resilience” and Indigenous project for SaskCulture’s response to Canada’s 150 Anniversary, unveiled in February 2018.
With her work, Johnson-Harder continues the tradition of resilience and storytelling for those interested and those who come after.
