Indigenous writer teaches Cree through interactive books

Cameron Robertson is a Cree speaker and writer who grew up near Norway House with his grandfather before moving to Winnipeg.

Robertson now writes books inspired by Indigenous history and perspective, such as his new novel “The Forgotten Soldier.”

The book is colour-coded and uses software that teaches you how to read in a specific language by touching a highlighted word on the page.

“By chapter ten you should be able to understand a word and what it means, and every time you read it, it tells a different story,” said Robertson.

Apart from writing, he also teaches a Cree language course for free online and is trying to start his own business. After high school, he went to Red River College. He took two terms of Environmental Engineering, which inspired him to promote and advocate for the Indigenous legacy on our society and the earth.

“People should try to take care of the world, instead of taking over it,” he said.

In 2013, after living in the city for a few years already, Robertson had a drug overdose that changed his mindset on life completely.

“I had a spiritual awakening,” he said. “I died for four and a half minutes and I went somewhere where they told me I still had a lot to give back to my people.”

After that, he decided to connect more to his origin and the spirituality of his culture. Now his goal is to inspire people through writing and teaching.

“It’s not about money, it’s about saving the language,” said Robertson. “My payment is my life, that’s why they brought me back.”

To learn more about Cameron’s journey and future projects, you can access his Facebook page.

– Juliana Vannucci, U Multicultural