Thunder Bay Public Library honours the late Robyn Medicine
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Public Library (TBPL) held a Commemorative Portrait Ceremony for the late Robyn Medicine to honour her memory and the important work she contributed on Feb. 11 at the Brodie Library. Medicine, who had served as senior advisor, Indigenous relations at TBPL, passed a year ago on Feb. 9, 2025. She was remembered for helping establish Indigenous Knowledge Centres across all branches at the library; being instrumental in the library’s Stories of Anishinaabe Resilience project, which aimed to increase awareness and commemorate the history and legacy of St. Joseph’s Residential School; setting up an Indigenous Author Series at the library; and instituting the library’s Indigenous Advisory Council.
“It’s certainly a very thoughtful way to honour Robyn and her work here at the library, the many years of work that she’s done — so it was an honour for me to come here to honour her,” says Fort William Elder Sheila DeCorte, who recalled being involved with the establishment of the Indigenous Knowledge Centres. “I was part of those projects, more so with the big one at Waverley [Library], the design of the furniture. It’s very inspirational. She’s contributed so much to the library.”
Stephanie MacLaurin, senior advisor, Indigenous relations librarian at TBPL and Fort William First Nation citizen, recalls being asked by Medicine to speak on a panel at the Brodie Library.
“We were addressing racism and moving forward, so that was my first introduction to her, actually participating in a speaking series at the library,” MacLaurin says. “Now in this role, what I see … is big shoes to fill. Robyn took up a lot of space for herself and Indigenous people in Thunder Bay and I’m constantly reminded of how much work she’s done and what it’s going to take to kind of live up to her legacy. [I] look around the library and I’m reminded of her often, the work that she wanted to do and how it closely aligns with what I hope for our nations.”
One of the projects that Medicine was involved in was the Orange Shirt Day program held by the City of Thunder Bay Indigenous Relations and Inclusion Office, Thunder Bay Public Library, and Boomer’s Drive-In Theatre that was nominated for the Ontario Culture Days People’s Choice Awards.
The program featured a Sept. 30, 2020 drive-in screening of the award-winning film Indian Horse, an adaptation of the late Richard Wagamese’s award-winning novel, followed by an Oct. 1 virtual film discussion led by the City of Thunder Bay’s Anishinaabe Elders Council.
MacLaurin says they recently reestablished the NDN Book Club that Medicine had initiated with Jesse Thistle’s memoir From the Ashes.
“And we have a book club for March,” MacLaurin says. “It begins Feb. 15 and it is [Born Sacred: Poems for Palestine] by Smokii Sumac, she’s a West Coast author.”
Dave Williams, Medicine’s father and a Lac Seul citizen, says the ceremony was amazing.
“It’s very nice of them that they actually had a ceremony like this for remembrance of my daughter and what she did for the community,” Williams says. “She was pretty immersed into culture and wanting to learn all the time. I haven’t been to the library for quite some years, but it sure feels welcoming coming into this section.”
Jennifer Manitowabi, Medicine’s aunt and a Lac Seul citizen, says Medicine felt it was a privilege to be creating safe spaces for Indigenous people in Thunder Bay.
“Our people are Knowledge Keepers, our people are knowledge providers, we have ways of knowing, and maybe we didn’t write those in books at one time, but now we do,” Manitowabi says. “So we’re always going to progress and Robyn was a part of that progression, so I’m very happy to say that I’m her aunt.”