Writer Joseph Boyden dares Edmonton Indigenous community to dream big

Even though he's a winner of prestigious awards including the Giller Prizeand amember of the Order of Canada, Joseph Boyden still gets scared when he sits down to write.

"I'm like, can I do this?" Boyden told an audience at theIndigenous Innovation Summit in Edmonton, Wednesday.

In his keynote speech,Boydenshared stories of his own creative process to motivate and assure othersit's OKto be scared when starting out with anew idea.

Sharing passages from his books, as well as playing the harmonica as part of his presentation,Boydenurgedpeople to see fear as something that sparks desire.

"After all the voices of all the people in the world saying you shouldn't do this, you're not Indian enough or you're not this enough or you're not that enough, when I push away all those outside voices, that's when the magic starts to happen,"Boydensaid.

The authorof Irish, Scottish andAnishinaabeheritageis celebrated across the country for his books about Indigenous history and culture, such asThree Day Road.

Describing Edmonton as an amazing city where he has many friends, Boyden said the current climate of reconciliation shows anything is possible for Indigenous people here.

"Reconciliation is the Edmonton Oilers recognizing treaty territory, schools in Edmonton recognizing these are the original peoples' traditional land," he noted.

About 300 delegates at the summit have been hearing about new ideas in First Nations communities,Indigenous organizations and entrepreneurs.

"There's some great work happening all over the country," said CowboySmithx, anorganizerwho paid tribute to DonIvesonfor his work with Indigenous people as mayor of Edmonton. "Everyone is tackling different circumstances in unique and innovative ways."

Smithx(his name ends with anx) said barriers remain for many Indigenous people who strugglewith poverty and suffer trauma from residential schools, but the summit is one way to share knowledge and expertise about suchissues.

Iveson said Edmonton is trying to be a leader in making the citymore inclusive, pointing to the Indigenous People's Experience project at Fort Edmonton Park as something of whichhe's proud.

He said the city was committed to telling a more respectful version of history and is working hand in hand with Treaty 6 leaders to bring the idea to life.

Boyden said he's pleased to see such projects, but remindseveryone reconciliation remains a difficult thing to quantify and it's still going to be a rough voyage.

However, hereturned to hismessage that anything is possible as long as people havepassion,love and belief inthe ideas they're working on.

"If you want it that bad, it'll happen and you have to surround yourself with the right people," he said.

The summitat Edmonton's Shaw Conference Centre is the second annual Indigenous Innovation Summit, following the first in Ottawa last year.