Waawaate Fobister (Anishinaabe) is a Canadian actor, dancer, playwright, choreographer, instructor, producer[1] and storyteller,[2] best known for their semi-autobiographical one-man play, Agokwe.
[5] Fobister got their spirit name, Waawaate, which means Northern Lights, as they began to explore their Native spirituality.
[2] Shortly after graduating from Humber College, Fobister wrote Agokwe (a variation of agokwa, the Anishinaabe word which loosely translates to "man-woman"[7] but in modern usage is better understood as "two-spirited"[5]), a story of unrequited love between two gay teenage boys.
[12] Medicine Boy tells stories of inter-generational trauma within First Nations families stemming from colonization, residential schools, and industrial waste poisoning the land.
[13] In 2019, Fobister introduced Omaagomaan (loosely translated as "someone biting very hard"), a dance that draws attention to the mercury poisoning and subsequent health problems within their community in Grassy Narrows.