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“While its lyrics are not overly racist … the historical context of the song is racist,” their email says. It goes on to note that Johnson performed for mostly non-Native audiences, and in a style that “…depicted Native people and culture in romantic ways, while lamenting the dying out of Native civilization to be replaced by a superior western civilization.”

One of the lyrics says “High on a rocky ledge I’ll build my wigwam. Close to the water’s edge. Silent and still.”

The defendants say in their statement of defence that Shearer hasn’t suffered any damage to her reputation, and the claims against them should be dismissed. The allegations have not been tested in court and lawyers for the school board, the principal and the vice principal said they couldn’t comment.

Johnson was an advocate for Indigenous rights at a time where few people were paying attention to it Rick Monture, Indigenous studies professor

In her lawsuit, Shearer says was absent from the school on disability leave following the concert, which could give the impression that her absence was in some way related to the concert, and could “further compounded the irreparable damage” to her reputation. Shearer is also asking for an apology and a retraction.

“Land of the Silver Birch” is not actually one of Johnson’s poems. According to Carole Gerson who has written two books about Johnson, it’s “an anonymous camp song from the 1920s,” and the “unknown author may have claimed to have been inspired by Johnson, but that’s as far as it goes.”

However the email written by Keenan and Tahirovic explicitly points to Johnson’s work as racist and concerning, which University of Ottawa professor Janice Fiamengo says is “ridiculous.”