Rick was born in Smith Falls Ontario. He belongs to the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation. His books include, I Am Algonquin (2013), Algonquin Spring (2015), Algonquin Sunset (2017) and the final and fourth book in the series, Algonquin Legacy, which is now available. The series takes place on both sides of the St Lawrence River Valley and the Great Lakes and to the Rocky Mountains during the years of 1320 to 1350s. It follows an Algonquin Native family unit as they fight to survive in the harsh climate of warfare, survival from the elements and the constant quest for food of this pre-contact era. His readers are introduced to the Algonquin, Anishinaabe, Lakota, Mi´kmaq, Mohawk, and Lakȟóta, languages as they are used in the vernacular in the four novels. He lives in Glenburnie, Ontario.
For those not familiar with your work, can you talk about your artistic path?
I started writing this series of books when I was 55 years old. As an Omàmiwinini (Algonquin) person who reads as much historical non-fiction as I can lay my hands on I soon realized that there was nothing written about my own ancestors. After seeing the movie Apocalypto I knew how I wanted to write my novels. So I started doing intense research and created an Omàmiwinini family unit that lived in the 1300’s pre-contact and wrote about how they survived on Turtle Island from the ravages of warfare, starvation, nature’s elements and the animals that they tried to hunt for survival.
What inspires you to write about your People, and what new discoveries does each book bring?
I could not find anything written about my people. There was lots written about the Anishinaabe, Blackfoot, Cree, Haudenosaunee, Lakota, Ouendant (Huron), etc. So. I decided to change this literary error and write the books myself. Each book brings the reader to a different part of the country that they can actually visit. They are introduced to the Native communities that lived in these areas. The legends that they believe in and the cultural differences and the ways that they co-existed within their lands that may have been different from the Omàmiwinini people.
Where have you visited across Canada and what are your favourite memories of different parts of the country?
In doing my research I travelled from Newfoundland to South Dakota, Manitoba and all the lands in between. I visited every major museum in all these provinces and states and created friendships to aid in my research and storytelling. The only regret is that I could not travel while I wrote Algonquin Legacy. COVID put a hamper on that, but the three provinces that this book took place in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta I had travelled to before. When I needed clarification on certain research items I got on the phone and called people in these provinces.
Favourite memories would be some of the museums I visited:
- The Rooms in St Johns Newfoundland
- Thunder Bay Museum in Thunder Bay Ontario
- The Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg Manitoba which has to be #1 on my list.
How important is talking to young people to you? You do a lot of work with schools and your work is studied in the classroom. What responsibility do you take on in this role?
I have a unique collection of furs, weapons and artifacts from that era that takes up six- 6-foot tables. I visit schools and talk to all classes from JK to Grade 12. I call my collection my Native Tickle Bag and Tickle Trunk; these things transport everything I have. I guess you could say I am a travelling museum. A great majority of the students have never seen the items I have and each piece that I have has a story connected with it. The children and teens get to touch and handle everything I bring into the schools which makes a great sensory experience for them. For the Grade 6’s and up I read passages from my books. The grade JK to Grade 6 students pepper me with questions. The older classes not so much, but you can see they are taking everything in and they are learning from my presentations.
What are you most looking forward to with the release of Algonquin Legacy this fall?
I am looking forward to the ending of the travels of Mahingan’s family. Plus I am looking forward to a new beginning of stories. The final chapter has an Easter Egg of what is coming in the future from myself and Crossfield Publishing.
What is your preferred method of writing – is it all on computers, notebooks, etc?
I write in a scribbler. I find my pen can keep up with my fast-moving ideas. If I get 30 pages written that way once I do the research and put in dialogue I will double that to 60 or 70 pages. I love writing on trains and buses. I have a favourite bar here in Napanee, Shoeless Joes, that I wrote the whole outline for my next novel which is now completed; The Elk Whistle Warrior Society. In fact, I am going there this afternoon to work on the 2nd book of that series.
What advice would you give an eager first-time author wanting to publish their first book?
- Write what you are passionate about.
- Do your research.
- Get your ideas down on paper and use that as your base.
- Know what your first and last chapter are.
- Never ever self edit. Do not sweat the commas, periods and sentence structures too much, that is what editors make their living on, fine tuning our ideas that we have on paper.
Who are some of your favourite authors?
My absolute three favourite Historical authors are:
- James Willard Schultz (1857-1947) who lived among the Blackfoot and wrote many books on his experiences.
- Richard Berleth who wrote Bloody Mohawk a non-fiction account of the French and Indian Wars
- Thomas B. Costain who wrote The White and the Gold.
You wrote about Turtle Island – what was the most fascinating aspect of this region in your opinion?
How my ancestors lived pre-contact there. No jails, no alcoholism, no diseases. The land was untouched and the people here treated the land with great respect. The land and all the animals ensured their survival.
An Elder once told me that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were:
- Guns
- Alcohol
- Disease
- Religion
For more information on Rick Revelle and his work, visit https://crossfieldpublishing.com/product/algonquin-legacy-by-rick-revelle-book-four-conclusion-an-algonquin-quest-novel/
*Editor’s note: Rick was first interviewed for The Miramichi Reader in 2015: https://miramichireader.ca/2015/11/rick-revelle-interview/
The pre-contact societies seem to be idealized, yet it is also mentioned that “. . . they survived on Turtle Island from the ravages of warfare, starvation, nature’s elements and the animals that they tried to hunt for survival.” . . . It seems contradictory. How does “the ravages of warfare” etc. coexist with a high level of well-being?
For Native warriors during that time they earned their manhood by defending their communities. Without battle or hunting honours young men had no purpose in life. Hunt to eat, warfare to gain community honours. Being successful on both of these accounts the young man would become a warrior and be looked up to in his community as a guardian and someone who could be depended on as a hunter. This contributed to their level of well being. The ravages of war on Turtle Island was always about defending women and children. In Europe it was about gaining land and wealth. After contact the Native way of life changed with the introduction of trade and the arms race among the Nations. Thank you for taking interest in asking that question.