Yves Sioui Durand and Catherine Joncas: Forty Years of Ondinnok, Now in a Book

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Long before Indigenous theatre had a regular place on Canadian stages, a small company in Quebec began making work rooted in First Nations stories, myths and healing. Yves Sioui Durand and Catherine Joncas were there from the start. Their book, Ondinnok. Le désir secret de l’âme, published by Éditions du Passage, looks back on that journey and is a finalist for the 2026 Governor General’s Literary Awards in the French-language essays category.

The founding of Ondinnok

Ondinnok was founded in 1985 by Yves Sioui Durand, Catherine Joncas and the late John Blondin. The National Arts Centre describes it as Canada’s first francophone Indigenous theatre company. Its name comes from a Wendat word for an ancient theatrical healing ritual, one that reveals the secret desire of the soul.

The company’s work has moved through mythological theatre, healing theatre and theatre about Indigenous identity in the 21st century. From 2004 to 2009 it ran a training program at the National Theatre School of Canada for emerging Indigenous artists. It has also mentored emerging artists and worked with neighbourhood organizations. In 2025 it marked its 40th anniversary with Tupqan | Nos territoires intérieurs, staged at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and at Duceppe in Montreal. Dave Jenniss now leads the company as artistic director.

Yves Sioui Durand

Yves Sioui Durand is Huron-Wendat and was born in Wendake, near Quebec City. He is a writer, director, actor and filmmaker. His play Le Porteur des peines du monde, first performed in 1983, won the Prix Américanité at the Festival des Amériques in 1985. An expanded English version, The Sun Raiser, was produced at the Banff Centre in 1995. In 2017 he received a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in theatre, the first Indigenous artist honoured in that category.

“Art is an essential pivot of access to dignity.” Yves Sioui Durand, quoted in Scena

Catherine Joncas

Catherine Joncas co-founded Ondinnok in 1985 and remains one of the voices most closely tied to its history. Through the company she organized Corps dansant, corps entravé, a dance event presented with Tangente that combined discussion, reflection and contemporary dance workshops. Writing this book alongside Sioui Durand, she brings the view of someone who helped build the company from the start.

The book

Ondinnok. Le désir secret de l’âme explores the ritual that gave the company its name. The authors explain how the word guided them and led them to reinvent their imaginative worlds as a way of resisting colonialism. They describe how this art gave meaning to their lives and connects them to those who came before and to people searching for peace today. The book is illustrated by Kaïa’tanó:ron Dumoulin Bush.

It shares the essays shortlist with books by Jean-Frédéric Légaré-Tremblay, Dalie Giroux, Anouk Sugàr and Nicholas Dawson. Finalists receive $1,000 and winners $25,000, with winners expected on November 12, 2026.

Where to learn more

Read about Ondinnok’s 40th anniversary in this National Arts Centre release, or learn more about Sioui Durand’s career in The Canadian Encyclopedia.

Find the book on the Éditions du passage website, and follow the company’s work on Ondinnok’s official site.

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