Dawaa: The Space Between - Book launch
An Anishnaabe Conversation
Apr 20, 2026 — 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
University of Ottawa Press is pleased to invite you to the launch of Dawaa: The Space Between by Tareyn Johnson, a book that weaves Anishnaabemowin and English in poetry that explores the space between language, memory and identity.
Event details
Join three Anishnaabe kwewag (women) in a discussion about the Anishnaabe language (Algonquin and Ojibwe) as it relates to each of their lived experiences.
The event is hosted by Tareyn Johnson. She will be joined by Joan Commanda Tenasco, a first language speaker with over 50 years’ experience revitalizing the language, and her daughter, Stephanie Tenasco, who carries on that legacy.
The three women will cover a range of cultural elements in their discussion, such as beadwork, art, language and ways that the language of their ancestors shapes who they are and how they exist in the world today.
You will receive the Zoom link by email once your registration is confirmed.
Tareyn Johnson
Host — Director, Indigenous Affairs, and professor, University of Ottawa
A passionate artist and storyteller, Tareyn Johnson is Anishnaabe and a member of the Chippewa of Georgina Island First Nation. She owns an art company, She Came Shining, focusing on beadwork and digital collage.
She has been the director of Indigenous Affairs at the University of Ottawa since 2017 and a professor in the Indigenous Studies program since 2021.
Joan Commanda Tenasco
Algonquin language keeper, translator and educator — Kitiɡàn Zìbì Anishinàbēɡ First Nation
Joan Commanda Tenasco is a respected Algonquin language keeper, translator and educator from Kitiɡàn Zìbì Anishinàbēɡ First Nation. She has spent more than 50 years preserving and revitalizing Anishinābemowin, the Algonquin language.
From an early age, she understood the importance of protecting her language and the cultural knowledge it carries. Through her teaching, translation and cultural sharing, she has helped ensure that Anishinābemowin continues to be passed on in ways that are accessible, engaging and meaningful.
Her lifelong commitment has helped keep the language and the voices of the Algonquin people strong, while inspiring new generations to learn, speak and carry the language forward.
Stephanie Tenasco
Algonquin Anishinàbe — Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, Quebec
Stephanie Tenasco is an Algonquin Anishinàbe from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg in Quebec. Raised among strong hands and strong voices, she learned that beadwork is more than art — it is memory stitched in colour.
Through leather, glass beads and language, she carries forward the songs and stories of her people with pride and gratitude. She continues a legacy that honours the past and strengthens future generations.
Mi iyo ni mino-pimadjiwowin. This is my good path; this is my culture.