Evelyn Loft Watts and Patricia Verge have co-authored a landmark biography of Canada’s first Baha’is of Aboriginal ancestry, Melba and Jim Loft. Return to Tyendinaga: The Story of Jim and Melba Loft, Baha’i Pioneers, is a work of the heart for both women, developed shortly after their friendship began twelve years ago. The publication is particularly special for Evelyn, not only as it chronicles her faith’s beginnings with Canada’s Aboriginal peoples, but because it traces the spiritual roots of her own family.
The book’s publication marks the fulfillment of a request made by her father, Jim Loft, that Evelyn write her parents’ life story for, as a young girl, she showed promise as a writer. She took it upon herself to collect volumes of research material over the span of many years, jotting down short versions of the Lofts’ biography. She found a career in writing as a court reporter, raised three children, and served the Baha’i Faith that her parents had taught her, but never lost sight of her father’s wish.
For Patricia Verge, the book stands as a “beautiful example of collaboration.” Evelyn and Patricia’s friendship developed through four years of chance meetings at Baha’i conferences and conventions before Evelyn invited Patricia to fly in from Cochrane, Alberta, and visit her home in Cobourg, Ontario. Together they went to a cemetery on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory where the Lofts are buried with Sam, their eldest son who died tragically in a car accident in 1954. It was after this visit that Patricia was inspired to offer help with editing the biography when Evelyn had completed it.
As a published author, Patricia understood the significance of what Evelyn wanted to accomplish just as Evelyn understood the spiritual potential of Aboriginal peoples which her parents had wanted to help release. That potential is mentioned in the book’s foreword, written by Evelyn’s son, Bob Watts, Jr.:
Our country suffers because the energy, the love of the land, the genius and the sacred knowledge possessed by the Aboriginal people of Canada are overlooked in the business of nation building. Melba and Jim knew about these gifts; they knew about the spiritual gifts of their people and the beauty inherent in those gifts. Helping to release the spiritual potential of our people is the reason Melba and Jim moved back to Canada from the United States. The story of Melba and Jim, while unique, is also representative of the incredible potential that exists in First Nation communities.
In the autumn of 2005, a deterioration in Evelyn’s health prompted her to ask Patricia to take over the project. Patricia was hesitant to accept but after another visit to Cobourg in early 2006, the remarkable amount of research that Evelyn had achieved meant that a great deal of the work was already done. Patricia took much of Evelyn’s research home with her and, two years later, had completed a first draft of the biography.
Patricia sent copies of the draft to members of the Loft family for their review. Susan Siwik, Evelyn’s daughter, was helpful to point out areas for revision and sought more stories of Jim and Melba from other members of the family; stories that Patricia believes “hugely enriched the book and made it more human.” Patricia and the Loft family used as much of Evelyn’s own writing as possible, including writing done by Melba Loft. With the contributions from family, Patricia has found that, though the book is longer than she first envisioned, it is a “much better book for the collaborative process.”
The creation of Return to Tyendinaga was demanding but, in light of the challenging lives led by the Lofts, it was par for the course. Jim Loft was of First Nations descent. His ancestral home was the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory but he grew up in poverty in Oshawa, Ontario. After meeting and marrying Melba Loft, who was raised on the Curve Lake Ojibwa First Nation, the couple moved to Michigan. A spiritual search initiated by Melba eventually led them to learning about the Baha’i community. Melba was the first Canadian of Aboriginal descent to join the community, followed soon after by Jim.
The kindness shared by the Baha’is they met and, more importantly, Baha’u’llah’s teachings of accepting all peoples as equal, resonated with Jim who had encountered racism since childhood. His new faith that taught the oneness of humanity fueled a drive to share the peace he found in his heart. Feeling that the Baha’i Faith was what many of his people were looking for, the couple moved back to the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in 1949 where Jim owned some land, despite the sacrifice of the move. The Lofts were determined to live among their people whom they loved dearly, sharing their faith, starting off in a small cabin with no electricity or running water. Jim opened an auto body shop that, in time, helped them improve their living arrangements.
Despite the hardships, they setout to teach the Baha’i Faith through how they lived their lives. Their love of Aboriginal peoples, shown through their service to others, is still remembered today. At a recent book launch in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Chief Don Maracle recalled that the Lofts lived by the following words, “Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.”
Now that the book is published, Patricia jokes that she can’t help but feel she knows Melba and Jim Loft a little better, if only in a spiritual sense since they never met. Similar to Chief Maracle, Patricia believes the lives lived by the Lofts, their spiritual and human authenticity, will be remembered. As she writes in Return to Tyendinaga:
I believe their (Lofts’) dignity, trust and reliance on God, staunch adherence to the spiritual beliefs they had searched so long to find, deep pride in their cultural heritage, and love for their family, their people, and their universal love for humankind, will shine forth in the stories shared in this book; likewise, their down to earth, human side will captivate hearts.
Return to Tyendinaga: The Story of Jim and Melba Loft, Baha’i Pioneers is available for purchase from One Voice Press online here. The next book launch will be taking place in Patricia’s home town of Cochrane, Alberta, on 28 April 2012, with more expected to follow.