Kamloopa:An Indigenous Matriarch Story is a play written by Canadian playwrightKim Senklip Harvey. It is the winner of the 2020Governor General’s Literary Award for English-language drama. Published in Canada byTalonbooks in April 2020 and co-authored with members of the Fire Company, the book includes a foreword by Lindsay Lachance and azine by Kimi Clark.[1][2]
Harvey won the Governor General's Award for English-language drama less than a week after receiving herMFA in writing from theUniversity of Victoria. She wrote the play "to ignite the power that was within Indigenous people."[3] While developing the print version, Harvey worked with Indigenousmatriarch Nancy Saddleman to translate the "n̓səl̓xcin̓" parts of the play. She deliberately wrote, "moments where you have to switch your paradigm into aSyilx one.”[4]
Two urban Indigenous sisters, Mikaya and Kilawna, and their new friend Edith, a lawlesstrickster, reconnect with their ancestors, their culture, and each other on their way to Kamloopa, the largestpow wow on the West Coast, inKamloops, British Columbia.
