—Day 3 Presenters—
Sunday, March 21th
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
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Oren Lyons
CLOSING WORDS FROM ELDERS
Verna DeMontigny
Verna DeMontigny was born in her parents’ home at Fort Ellice Municipality, Manitoba in a small Metis community known as Fouillard’s Corner.
Verna is the daughter of Jean Louis Fleury and Josephine Marie Ledoux. She was born to a large family totaling 11 siblings, 4 sisters, 5 brothers and 2 brothers from a former marriage.
Maintaining her strong Cultural traditions and her ancestral Language which is Michif, Verna after retiring became a Michif Language Co-ordinator for the Southwest Region’s Michif Language Program, a Professor at Brandon University and a Michif Language teacher for Brandon School Division. She has worked with various Michif Language Linguists by transcribing Michif Language material and many other ways to preserve her ancestral Language that she loves so much.
Verna is also an accomplished craftswoman and a successful Storyteller. She loves beading, making Sashes, rugs, preserving berries, food, and sewing. She loves to work with her hands.
Verna DeMontigny, born 1951, has preserved the knowledge and ancestral Language that was passed on to her from her parents and ancestors. She has experienced many changes, from being raised in a small Métis Community ,living in a log cabin , living the traditional way of life, raising her family as a single parent, going back to school after 32 years and working tirelessly to preserve the Oral teachings and Language that was handed down to her.
Verna believes that language and traditional practices are the Cornerstones of The Metis Culture.
Tom Porter
Tom was born in Akwesasne and St. Regis Ontario into the Mohawk and belongs to the bear clan. Tom strives to revitalize traditions of native Americans with a special focus on language revitalization. He is an author and a widely respected teacher of Mohawk traditions.
Elder Reepa Cvic-Carleton
Reepa was born in Cumberland Sound, Nunavut, but lived on the land until her family was relocated to the community of Pangnirtung when she was 5 years old. Ms. Evic-Carleton’s work experience included 10 years as a Housing Manager in Pangnirtung and one year as Community Social Worker in Child Protection. In 1989 she moved to Ontario. She has worked as a Family Support Worker at Tungasuvvingat Inuit for several years where she worked closely with the CAS Ottawa, the AODS committee of Ottawa and extensively with the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse while faclitating the groundwork to translate the first Inuit specific trauma and addictions treatment curriculum from Inuktitut to english. Reepa co-founded the Mamisarvik Healing Centre, the first INuit specific trauma and addicitons treatment centre in Southern Canada. In 2019 she presented at the hearings on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women.
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Louise McDonald
Wakerakatste (Wa-geh-lah-gats-the) Louise McDonald Herne is a condoled Bear Clan Mother for the Mohawk Nation Council. She is a trusted advisor for families and community youth and works closely with them in their homes and schools. She bestows traditional names in the longhouse and provides spiritual counsel for all those seeking support. Through her work as a matrilineal leader and as a mother, she is a founding member of Konon:kwe (Goh-noon-gwe) Council, a circle of Mohawk women working to reconstruct the power of their origins through education, empowerment and trauma-informed approaches.
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Elder Doug Williams
A Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg and former Chief of Curve Lake First Nation. He is currently Co-Director and Graduate Faculty for the Indigenous Studies PhD. Program and oversees the cultural and spiritual components of the program. He is a member of the Pike Clan, and was one of the first graduates of what is now called Indigenous Studies at Trent University in 1972. He is a Pipe Carrier, a Sweat Lodge Keeper, and Ceremony Leader. He is a language speaker and considers himself a trapper, a hunter, and fisherman. Beyond his work in the academy, he is active at the community level and works to ensure that Indigenous Knowledge is maintained within the community. Doug is also the author of the book, Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg: This is Our Territory.
FPHL OFFERING GRATITUDE
Dr. Dawn Lavell
Dr. Dawn Lavell Harvard, Ph.D., is a proud member of the Wiikwemkoong First Nation, the first Aboriginal Trudeau Scholar, Director for First Peoples House of Learning at Trent University, and has worked to advance the rights of Indigenous women as the President of the Ontario Native Women's Association since 2003. Dawn previously served as President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada after she was elected during the 41st Annual General Assembly, July 11, 2015 in Montreal, Quebec.
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David Newhouse
Betty Carr-Braint
Betty Carr-Braint is a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte. She is Mohawk and English. She is Wolf Clan and grew up at Tyendinaga. Betty Carr-Braint has her Master of Social Work, Indigenous Based from Wilfrid Laurier University. She holds a certificate in Traditional Healing & Counseling, a certificate in Returning the Bundle (Traditional Practitioner) program and a certificate for the Indigenous Community Health Approaches program from FNTI. She is also certified as a Grief Recovery Specialist through the Grief Recovery Institute. She obtained her Indigenous Addictions Services Certificate from Nechi Institute. She worked in her community of Tyendinaga for over twenty-six years, in different roles including working as a Traditional Practitioner and as the Program Manager of the Enyonkwa’nikonhriyohake’ (Good Minds) Program. She has also worked at Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre at Queen’s University as the Elder-In-Residence. She currently works at Trent University as the Cultural Advisor/Indigenous Counsellor at First Peoples House of Learning.
CLOSING PRAYER
Elder Doug Williams
A Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg and former Chief of Curve Lake First Nation. He is currently Co-Director and Graduate Faculty for the Indigenous Studies PhD. Program and oversees the cultural and spiritual components of the program. He is a member of the Pike Clan, and was one of the first graduates of what is now called Indigenous Studies at Trent University in 1972. He is a Pipe Carrier, a Sweat Lodge Keeper, and Ceremony Leader. He is a language speaker and considers himself a trapper, a hunter, and fisherman. Beyond his work in the academy, he is active at the community level and works to ensure that Indigenous Knowledge is maintained within the community. Doug is also the author of the book, Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg: This is Our Territory.
Thank you for joining us for this free virtual event.
We are excited to have you come and visit with the Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers. If you would like to help us continue to deliver amazing offers like this event and would like to leave a monetary gift – we would be grateful.