Joy O’Brien is a residential school survivor who, with the support of the NIB Trust Fund and her family is gaining the traditional knowledge of moose hide tanning. Joy is not only a survivor, but also an intergenerational survivor whose goal is to bring hide tanning skills back into her family line and pass along the knowledge to her children and grandchildren. 

Joy was able to join a moose hunt with her family, where they travelled on the land by foot and machine to learn to find signs of moose. During the harvesting, the group learned how to take great care and pay respect to the animal for giving up its life, how to use only what is needed and to use all that is harvested. Joy had the chance to listen to her traditional language and speak the words related to moose hunting and hide tanning. She also leaned all the steps in producing a quality moose hide. Her time out on the land gave her the opportunity to strengthen family connections, learn important cultural skills, and new teachings to share with family and the people she works with.  

The Community of Membertou and its Elders recognize the importance of sharing culture and history with all people and believe that this sharing and celebration must come from the community itself. With support from the NIB Trust Fund, the Membertou Heritage Park launched the Kun'tewiktuk: A Celebration of Mi'kmaq Art, Music, and Culture program, an arts program that fosters the growth of the next generation of Mi’kmaw artists. 

Aspiring young artists received a bursary and were paired with a mentor for periodic one on one training. All participants were nominated through Membertou First Nation, for the six-to-seven-month program.  The young artists specialties include photography, beadwork, and painting. The mentors worked with the artists through virtual workshops to introduce viewers to the craft, discuss the cultural & historical significance, and teach key practices & techniques for those interested in pursuing opportunities in each artists’ discipline. 

These mentorships provided the young artists a chance to hone their skills, learn from a respected artist, and carve a new path to success. The final stages of the program will see the artists creating and having the chance to showcase their work inside the Membertou Heritage Park, a community space that offers a living history of the people of Membertou. Over the course of the project, Kun'tewktuk has documented the journey of these young artists and share their experiences and artistic creations.  View it here. The workshops were recorded and posted online to be shared with viewers across Turtle Island. 

Kun'tewiktuk: A Celebration of Mi'kmaq Art, Music, and Culture

Taylor has challenged herself with an educational goal to achieve a Juris Doctor degree from a law school, and this May, she completed that goal by becoming a member of the graduating class from Queen’s Law in Kingston in 2022. Taylor is now planning to return to her community of Akwesasne to practice law and immerse herself in community work relating to 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, adults, and elders. 

The scholarships Taylor received from the NIBTF have helped with tuition and eased the stress of the transition from home to university. With the help of the NIB Trust Fund, Taylor was able to stress less about finances and focus more on her studies to reach her goals. 

To foster community and personal development, the Journey to my Best Self program focuses on healing and reconciliation for the people in the Akaitcho region, specifically for the Smith's Landing First Nation, Salt River First Nation, and the Northwest Territories Métis membership. 

The program is a culture-based program that created opportunities to heal for personal development. The program hosted a variety of cultural and educational activities with an emphasis on historical policies and interventions that have deeply disrupted the intergenerational exchange of traditional knowledge.

The facilitated workshops focused on helping participants identify personal wellness goals to work towards and created a welcoming place to hold talking circles and discuss the intergenerational residential school traumas that affects their region. Participants taught Dene traditional values, laws, and relationships and learned how to build on them for a positive future. Participants also explored different communication tools, traditional crafting, arts lessons and cultural skills like moose hide tanning, ribbon skirt and shirt making. The group included adults of all ages including Elders and residential school survivors. 

The program was created with hopes to help the people to recognize their own value, connect to inner strengths and inner resources within themselves and grow as strong Dene.

The Peguis Foundation Inc. Spirit and the Land Excursion Camp brought 116 youth out on the land to experience culture, music, arts, and land-based learning through eight different day camps. The planning team was committed to get youth outside and on the land during different seasons, even under the pandemic conditions. Each camp day started with a ceremony lead by community Elders and each had a different focus. 

The many camps focused on several themes: Elder care and how youth can be more helpful and supportive to our community elders; camps on traditional craft making skills of ribbon skirts, shirts, shields, moccasins and drum making; on the land medicine picking, medicine pouches and teachings; the sweat lodge camp included the material gathering of wood and rocks; the land based skills of fishing and lunch preparation on the local beaver pond.

These camps brought Elders and Youth together and each day’s activities brought excitement and positive learning experience. The program helped bring youth together and helped strengthen family connections through cultural programming and teachings. 

“By planting seeds in our own lands, we reinforce our connection to the land and the Seeds”. 

The Kenhtè:ke Seed Sanctuary & Learning Centre (KSSLC), located in Tyendinaga is home to a 40-year-old living collection of almost 300 seed varieties. The support of the NIB Trust Fund has allowed Kenhtè:ke Seed Sanctuary to share this knowledge of food and seed sovereignty with the next generations and previous ones’ too. The gardener on-site at the KSSLC is teaching youth assistants and volunteers how to maintain the seed collection, the practice of seed saving, sorting, packaging, labelling, storage, best practices, traditional gardening techniques, what it means to grow on a rotating schedule, and sharing seeds within the collective. The lessons shared while out on the land.  

This project is an ongoing cultural revitalization process for the community. The KSSLC has created an environment where community members can learn traditional Rotinonhsyón:ni cosmology, practices, protocols, and languages. Different lessons on the importance of seeds and how they are incorporated into the Creation Story of Rotinonhsyón:ni people and how they are critical to the continuance of the Onkwehonwe connection to Tyonnhéhkwen - our life sustainers. The KSSLC sharing has fostered youth learning, volunteerism, continues to connect local schools and senior groups, and provides a pathway for knowledge sharing for future generations. The outreach and training efforts that have been accomplished with the project have impacted Tyendinaga especially, and even reached other Mohawk communities like Kanehsatà:ke with online seed saving events.   

Kenhtè:ke Seed Sanctuary & Learning Centre

Caleb is working to earn his degree in finance and accounting and then is aiming to go into business or law administration. He is a student-athlete at the University of Regina, training hard to make the Cougars basketball team. He credits the NIB Trust Fund for helping him find balance between his studies, athletic commitments, and working a job. The financial support provided by the NIB Trust has allowed Caleb the freedom to work part time. Caleb is also the youth delegate at the O Tee Paym Soo Wk Métis Local where his role is to support youth programming including sport, healthy living, and leadership.  Caleb is proud to be a Métis student-athlete and hopes he can be a positive role model for other Métis students and young people. 

Caleb is working to earn his degree in finance and accounting and then is aiming to go into business or law administration. He is a student-athlete at the University of Regina, training hard to make the Cougars basketball team. He credits the NIB Trust Fund for helping him find balance between his studies, athletic commitments, and working a job. 

Healing, Empowerment, Education and Employment Project

Mosquito Grizzly Bears Head Lean Man (MGBHLM) First Nation is an Assiniboine Nation located in the Eagle Hills of Saskatchewan with just over 1000 members. The HEEEP program was designed to support unemployed youth and adults who are struggling with the intergenerational impact of Residential Schools, leaving too many in a despair state. Support from the NIB Trust Fund and MGBHLM Economic Development helped the community empower unemployed community members to make positive changes in their lives, family lives and great community lives. 

The intensive 6-month holistic healing program provided participants with the chance to attend healing circles, feasts, and MGBHLM history lessons including the history of the signatory in Treaty 4 & 6, and language teachings hosted by an Elder and employment training services. The participants gained one week training for safety tickets, life skills training which included a 1-week practicum within a business owned by MGBHLM Economic Development. These program offerings created a sense of belonging, connection to culture, positive experiences, and sense of pride in their history and strength in knowing of the Warriors who came before.  

Throughout the duration of the program, participants focused on the personal holistic development and importance of family values and connection. The healthy environment generated will support the community to move forward, explore new ways of being and hopefully help set participant on a future path of success.

Mosquito Grizzly Bears Head Lean Man First Nation

The Manitoba Indigenous Cultural Education Centre (MICEC) was founded to address the devastating effects of Canada’s assimilation policy towards First Nations people and proactively works to support First Nations people reclaim their cultures, languages, and education in Manitoba. With the support of NIB Trust Fund, the MICEC hired an online learning coordinator and created 18 different videos to educate and share Indigenous cultures and languages in Manitoba. The MICEC selected educational topics of parenting, crafting, language, harvesting, storytelling, history, and treaties to share with their audiences and throughout the duration of the project they had a over 10,000 viewers including 150 residential school survivors. 

MICEC Online highlighted and provided a platform for individuals to share their knowledge, talents, skills, and stories with viewers and connect them with the people, communities and organizations who are revitalizing Indigenous languages and cultures.  By creating videos and online content it allowed a larger community to connect with knowledge keepers, activists, and leaders to find wellness in this time. 

Interested in learning how to peyote stitch or sew your own ribbon shirt? Click here. Or you can explore videos on parenting, language, harvestings, storytelling, history, and treaties from MICEC online here. 

Manitoba Indigenous Cultural Education Centre Inc. 

Community Connections Online Learning Program (MICEC Online) 

The Manitoba Indigenous Cultural Education Centre (MICEC) was founded to address the devastating effects of Canada’s assimilation policy towards First Nations people and proactively works to support First Nations people reclaim their cultures, languages, and education in Manitoba. With the support of NIB Trust Fund, the MICEC hired an online learning coordinator and created 18 different videos to educate and share Indigenous cultures and languages in Manitoba. 

The Odawa Native Friendship Centre originally aimed to create a series of recordings of Algonquin elders speaking language for young viewers. However, with pandemic restrictions in place and the need to protect elders, the Odawa Friendship Centre modified the program and has instead brought the Early Years Algonquin Language and Cultural Introduction program online for viewers with little ones between the ages of 0-6. 

For many viewers, these language lessons are their first-time hearing and learning to pronounce words. By centering the lessons around everyday words and phrases such as greetings, counting to 10, daily phrases for napping and waking up, the program encourages the daily use of the language. 

The videos were created for young minds to cultivate engagement with language and takes the approach of immersing young ones in cultural learning via video. The videos are also shared with network of Indigenous childcare facilities in the region.

With the change in program, the Friendship Centre was also able to expand to include words and phrases in Mohawk and Cree language. The lessons included animal names, counting, Special Day messages, the colours and more. The program not only helped bring language and culture into many homes across the Ottawa region, but it also helped build confidence and capacity in staff by encouraging them to use language daily and teaching them to include culture in program planning on a regular basis. 

You can check out some of the language videos on the Odawa Native Friendship Centre Facebook page here. 

Early Years Algonquin Language and Cultural Introduction 

Krista Collier-Jarvis is a proud Mi’kmaw pursuing a PhD in English at Dalhousie University. With the help of the NIB Trust Fund, she has been able to focus on her research and goals of integrating Indigenous ways of knowing, bring her research into the classroom, share at conferences, contribute to academic journals, and mentor other students.

Krista’s academic career has given her the opportunity to engage in Talking Circles, join discussions surrounding decolonizing museum spaces, bring her recent research on Netukulimk and Etuaptmumk into the classrooms, work on collaborative research on Indigenous Métissage, and write for the Dalhousie University blog, OpenThink about the unmarked grave sites at residential schools on Turtle Island.  Krista’s research builds upon her American gothic work and New Wave Indigenous culture that provides an interdisciplinary approach to Indigenous Gothic film and literature. She has also published writings on contagion and Indigenous survival stories. You can read Krista’s published OpenThink articles here. 

Located in the northwest region of Winnipeg, the Seven Oaks School Division runs the Ojibwe Bilingual Language Program. The program is an NIB Trust Fund multi-year beneficiary and has been supported by the Trust Fund since 2017. Now in its’ fifth year, the program has grown with the students from kindergarten to grade 5 and is now entering the Middle Years. When the program first began, there were 100 youth enrolled in the language immersion lessons and today, the program reaches 133 First Nations and Métis students. The language program has played an important role in many of the student’s lives by connecting them with culture and language learning they may not have access to while in-care or at home. The program is connecting staff, students and their families with community Elders and Knowledge Keepers, created networking and professional development opportunities, and is helping to increase the number of Ojibwe language speakers within Treaty One Territory.  Through the program, the Seven Oaks School District can support Indigenous teachers and support staff as they strengthen their language skills through the Indigenous Language Certification program at Red River College and the University of Winnipeg.

Riverbend School and the Seven Oaks School Division remain committed to recovering and preserving Indigenous languages through in-school programming and community involvement.  Through the Ojibwe Bilingual Language program, they will continue to create and provide language learning opportunities for their students through Indigenous ways of being, learning and doing. 

Located in the northwest region of Winnipeg, the Seven Oaks School Division runs the Ojibwe Bilingual Language Program. The program is an NIB Trust Fund multi-year beneficiary and has been supported by the Trust Fund since 2017. Now in its’ fifth year, the program has grown with the students from kindergarten to grade 5 and is now entering the Middle Years. 

Located in the northwest region of Winnipeg, the Seven Oaks School Division runs the Ojibwe Bilingual Language Program. The program is a NIB Trust Fund multi-year beneficiary and has been supported by the Trust Fund since 2017. The program has grown with the students from Kindergarten to grade 5 and is now entering the Middle Years. There are currently over 100 First Nations and Métis students enrolled in the language immersion lessons and multiple First Nations teachers and support staff. 

The language program has played an important role in many of the student’s lives by connecting them with culture and language learning they may not have access to while in-care or at home. The program is connecting staff, students and their families with community Elders and Knowledge Keepers, creating networking and professional development opportunities, and is helping to increase the number of Ojibwe language speakers within Treaty One Territory.  Through the program, the Seven Oaks School District can support Indigenous teachers and support staff as they strengthen their language skills through the Indigenous Language Certification program at Red River College and the University of Winnipeg.

Riverbend School and the Seven Oaks School Division remain committed to recovering and preserving Indigenous languages through in-school programming and community involvement.  Through the Ojibwe Bilingual Language program, they create and provide language learning opportunities for their students and community members through Indigenous ways of being, learning and doing and are directly helping to create long-term sustainable language learning and development accessible for future generations. 

Indigenous Language Revitalization Initiatives Growing our Own Anishinaabemowin Speakers

Located in the northwest region of Winnipeg, the Seven Oaks School Division runs the Ojibwe Bilingual Language Program. The program is a NIB Trust Fund multi-year beneficiary and has been supported by the Trust Fund since 2017. 

The focus of the Coyote Pride Mentoring Program is to share teachings of culture, the histories of First People, and speak the truths of the Residential Schools. The program began operating in different schools in the region and explored the true effects of intergenerational trauma, and the importance and impact of Reconciliation from the First Peoples perspective. They also included a land-based teachings series that shared teachings from Elders and Knowledge Keepers online. The students were taught traditional games such as run and scream, sling ball, lacrosse, and hoop and dart, and they explored traditional lessons in hunting and trapping.

At Coyote Pride, they believe that mentoring preserves a way of life based on spirituality, sacredness, reciprocity, education, and social responsibility. With the integration of cultural pride, it preserves and protects the health and well-being of the youth.  Through these mentoring sessions youth received the opportunity to learn different tribal regions, language lessons in Cree, and storytelling/legends within eight (8) different schools in the Edmonton region.

When the pandemic brought the students home, the Coyote Pride Mentoring Program and the Bent Arrow team provided activities to support families to try to find new ways of being together during the pandemic. This resulted in over 150 youth and their families receiving a variety of “kits”. A traditional games kits, family board game kit, Smudge kits, Seven Sacred Teachings kit, healthy snacks and cooking kits, and even hygiene kits. These kits helped the families, children and youth connect to their indigenous culture, strengthen family ties, and support overall wellness. 

A film documenting Rapid Word Collection, a language curation methodology with the Haisla community of Kitamaat, BC and First Nations Education Foundation. The video is an amazing example of what community led language revitalization work looks like. The NIB Trust fund was the major funder of this project and we honor the incredible efforts by the Haisla First Nation and First Nations Education Foundation in making this rejuvenation project a success now and for the future! 

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2lY3T0hUw4 

First Nations Education Foundation and Haisla Nation Council

Haislakala - Healing through Language & Culture Revitalizations and Rapid Word Collection

A film documenting Rapid Word Collection, a language curation methodology with the Haisla community of Kitamaat, BC and the First Nations Education Foundation.

Amanda is extremely grateful to be an NIB Trust Fund scholarship recipient. She is enrolled in her 2nd year of 4-year Juris Doctorate, Joint Degree in Canadian Common Law and Indigenous Legal Orders, at the University of Victoria. Amanda aspires to work for our Nations and create change to build a better future for all Indigenous peoples and communities so adversely impacted by laws and policies that are not our own. Amanda says, “I feel that in order to progress as a people we need to be able to understand the language of the law and make it applicable to our Indigenous Laws”. 

With support from the NIB Trust Fund, Amanda was able to alleviate multiple stresses for her and had the chance to put some extra focus into making sure her family’s needs were met while she was in school. 

Amanda aspires to work for our Nations and create change to build a better future for all Indigenous peoples and communities so adversely impacted by laws and policies that are not our own. 

To honour her fathers hard work and dedication to the small business he started, Lizzie Black Plume has a goal to earn a Bachelor of General Management with a minor in Small and Family Business from the University of Lethbridge. Lizzie describes her late father as an entrepreneur at heart with a mind full of ideas, and she wants to work as a small business consultant for people in her community who have dreams like her father. Lizzie is a proud member of the Blood Tribe and believes in the passion and skillset of her people and she wants to help her community members make their dreams a reality. Lizzie’s goal is to return to her community and says, “I know with the help of my consultation services I can help small businesses flourish and grow by utilizing my educational knowledge and past experience”. 

Lizzie has had continued support from the NIB Trust Fund since 2017. This scholarship has allowed Lizzie to focus her time and energy mainly on her studies and her family. Lizzie says, “Being a NIB Trust recipient is a blessing and I am grateful for the opportunities that have come along my way”.  

To honour her fathers hard work and dedication to the small business he started, Lizzie Black Plume has a goal to earn a Bachelor of General Management with a minor in Small and Family Business from the University of Lethbridge. 

Aggatha is member of the Coast Salish people and has been participating in cultural activities throughout the pandemic. The NIB Trust Fund has supported Aggatha’s goals to learn specific cultural protocols when making cedar hats, earrings, and headbands. She has had the chance to be on the land experiencing teachings and listening to stories of her family’s and community’s background. She has also been on the water in a canoe where she received teachings about the water and the relationship to it. Aggatha has also learned about feather work and regalia making for the long house. 

The NIB Trust Fund has supported Aggatha’s goals to learn specific cultural protocols when making cedar hats, earrings, and headbands. She has had the chance to be on the land experiencing teachings and listening to stories of her family’s and community’s background.

The community of Délı̨nę is a remote, fly-in First Nations community with a small population and with the NIB Trust Fund’s support, they had the chance to give their youth a unique summer camp experience. The summer camp was run by youth workers who planned and coordinated with the assistance of the community leaders. Youth ranging in ages from 10-18, spent weeks on the land with elders, community experts, local resource managers, and scientists learning about Délı̨nę resource management and connecting with the natural environment. The summer camp also included contemporary music training, created music compilations, discovered music development, and connected traditional Dene practice in music. The camp also weaved Délı̨nę cultural teachings through games, story telling with an emphasis on on-the-land stories, and craft making using local resources. Sport and fitness were included through games such as “stick pull” which helped teach the youth about using local resources and using bear grease to coat the stick to test your opponent’s strength while also building strong hands for fishing season. 

The summer camp created an environment where the youth were eager to participate and learn from their community members and receive teachings that will help them continue the Délı̨nę ways of being and stewardship of the environment. 

Strong like Two Minds - Délı̨nę Traditional Knowledge Eco Arts Camp 2020

The community of Délı̨nę is a remote, fly-in First Nations community with a small population and with the NIB Trust Fund’s support, they had the chance to give their youth a unique summer camp experience. 

In New Brunswick, support from the NIB Trust Fund has helped the Union of New Brunswick Indians Training Institute host Healing Through Culture – A Cultural Connection. The program hosted 30 participants including Indian Residential School Survivors and Intergenerational Survivors from the region who had the chance to explore the land and take in cultural and ecological teachings while on hiking trips and medicine walks. The program has given many participants the chance to explore areas of the region they have never visited before and helped renew a sense of pride and connection to the land.

Along with the cultural component, the Union of New Brunswick Indians Training Institute also offered Drivers Education and Training to participants. Driver training supports autonomy and helps participants reach an important life milestone and gain confidence in themselves.

The Union of New Brunswick Indians Training Institute 

Healing Through Nature – A Cultural Connection 

The program has given many participants the chance to explore areas of the region they have never visited before and helped renew a sense of pride and connection to the land.

Jordanna Roesler is working to complete her Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Her goal is to give back to her community and provide culturally safe medical care to those in need and complete her residency training in underserved communities. She chose to attend UBC because the MD Program is exemplary in its work towards creating and maintaining a culturally safe program. The faculty in her program have been an incredible source of continuous support and have been instrumental in recruiting and promoting future Indigenous physicians.

Jordanna became involved in her program early on as an Indigenous Health Representative and is now the VP of Indigenous Health for the Medical Undergraduate Society of the UBC MD Program where she continues to promote and advocate for Indigenous health and wellbeing. Since beginning her education journey, Jordanna has also been fortunate enough to liaison with the First Nations Health Authority, the faculty, Elders, and also lead and support the Indigenous Health Representatives at each UBC Faculty of Medicine site.

Funding from the NIB Trust Fund has helped Jordanna tremendously by alleviating some of the financial barriers of medical school tuition, fees, and related medical school costs. She says, “I am extremely grateful for the support that the NIB Trust Fund provided, and it has helped me continue my journey towards becoming a well-rounded physician”.

Jordanna became involved in her program early on as an Indigenous Health Representative and is now the VP of Indigenous Health for the Medical Undergraduate Society of the UBC MD Program where she continues to promote and advocate for Indigenous health and wellbeing. 

Illustrated By: Spotted Fawn Productions 

To help increase resources available to youth and children across Turtle Island that bring awareness to reconciliation, support from the NIB Trust Fund has helped the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada release Book 4 of the Spirit Bear series. Spirit Bear: Echoes of the Past is a collaboration between the Caring Society and Spotted Fawn Productions, who illustrated the book.

In this book, Spirit Bear and his family are on vacation in the territory of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples, Songhees and Esquimalt, (also known as Victoria, BC). They happen to see the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald being taken down so Spirit Bear and his family learn about the good and bad parts of history and how we can make better decisions now and for future generations of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit kids. The book also shares the story of whistleblower Peter Henderson Bryce and his courage to speak out against the injustices for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children in residential schools. The book will also be available in Algonquin and French. The book is available at local bookstores with all proceeds going back toward children's reconciliation projects at the Caring Society. 

https://fncaringsociety.com/spirit-bear-echoes-past 

First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada

The Young Warrior Program that is offered by the Victoria Native Friendship Centre is intended to empower youth ages 7-12 and connect them with resources offered through the Friendship Centre. Youth are provided with the opportunity to participate in twice-weekly groups that teach the youth to strengthen their decision-making skills, taking care, and finding balance. Some of the topics covered are healthy relationships, bulling and identifying bullying, boundaries, empathy, mindfulness, anxiety, and self-care. The curriculum is taught through sharing circles, journaling, games, and activities. The program has an art therapist who provides some engaging art activities. The topics for each session also incorporate culture, such as sharing circles and storytelling. At the end of the program there is an opportunity for the youth to learn how to make a medicine pouch or drum.  The Victoria Native Friendship Centre is providing an environment for youth to learn, grow, and explore different interpersonal skills and connect with local elders who act as mentors, cultural advisors, and wisdom keepers to the youth. 

The Young Warrior Program that is offered by the Victoria Native Friendship Centre is intended to empower youth ages 7-12 and connect them with resources offered through the Friendship Centre.

Justin is pursuing his undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Manitoba studying film and philosophy. He’s a passionate student who aims to use his degree in film to spotlight rural Indigenous communities in Manitoba and help amplify the voices of their community members through documentary or narrative features. 

Support from the NIB Trust Fund has helped him with tuition and books and given him the chance to connect with other youth leaders. Justin hopes to use his education to help him advocate for more rights for Indigenous youth across Canada and says, “In these unique and difficult times my heart is full knowing I can pursue my education goals with this kind of support“. 

“In these unique and difficult times my heart is full knowing I can pursue my education goals with this kind of support“. 

 Funding from the NIB Trust Fund has helped the Saskatoon Friendship Centre host capacity-building workshops and activities such as First Aid, CPR Training, education and employment, mental health, wellbeing, and parenting workshops which were aimed at helping Indigenous women and girls develop and grow. The cultural workshops focus on building a sense of identity and self-confidence through cultural teachings and lessons which helps connect participants with elders, knowledge keepers, encouraging mentorship, and knowledge sharing.  The Saskatoon Indian and Metis Friendship Centre is working to heal the traumas left behind by Indian Residential School Systems, Day schools, and the Sixty scoop. In doing so we are trying to heal the life-givers and strengthen our Indigenous sisters. 

Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friendship Centre 

Sisters Strengthening Sisters was created to empower Indigenous women and girls in the Saskatoon area and help to build a community of strong, resilient Indigenous sisters. The Saskatoon Indian and Métis Friendship Centre created Sisters Strengthening Sisters with the intent to reduce the barriers typically faced by Indigenous women and girls wishing to access programming. The programming consists of a variety of workshops, activities, outings, and opportunities that help build confidence and a sense of self-identity within participants.

Support from the NIB Trust Fund has helped create REZ-FM, a fully licensed, volunteer-run FM radio station located on Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation. The station was created to give youth, elders, and creatives of all avenues the platform to share important news, hold discussion, and share their work. The station quickly became recognized as the perfect platform to share cultural teachings and stories that are accessible for the community and beyond.  The radio station has aired student conducted interview and keeps community members up to date with current news and information and encourages language revitalization. The community is using the station to help the Mi’kmaw culture flourish within their members. 

In Nova Scotia, the Mi’kmaw Nation in the community of Paqtnkek were looking for a hub to share important news, community updates, and discussions for what needed to be shared for their members. The community is populated with less than 600 members including a few musicians, change-makers, and elders; and that’s how the Paqtnkek Community Radio Project was created. 

The program also aims to help enhance understanding regionally of the effects of Indian Residential Schools and the how the system left lasting impacts on Indigenous people. The museum also aims to provide people with a welcoming place to learn about different cultures and gain an understanding of how the Ojibway people traditionally and presently interact with the world. The program was designed to help preserve and restore the Ojibway language for people in the community and anyone wishing to learn. To develop the language components, traditional stories and songs were recorded and the museum hopes to eventually make them available on kiosks where users can explore the language. 

Funding from the NIB Trust Fund has helped provide the equipment and tools for the museum that will be used to help promote the Ojibway language and teach about the effects the Indian Residential Schools System left on the Indigenous populations within the region. The museum can continue promoting and supporting reconciliation by educating non-Indigenous people on the history and legacy the Indian Residential Schools left behind through the voices and faces of the survivors themselves.  

National Indigenous Residential School Museum of Canada

The vision of the National Indigenous Residential School Museum of Canada is to be a place where people can learn, share, heal, and move forward. The goals of the Maamiikwendan program have been to create a safe space for Indian Residential School Survivors to share their stories and feel acknowledged and heard. Stories from Survivors were documented and shared in perpetuity. 

The program has collaborated with a circle of Elders to revitalize Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Lene-Lenape cultural knowledge and peace-making practices that are the foundation of the program. Families are provided with a safe space to discuss and work together to create plans towards healing and forgiveness. The program seeks to address intergenerational trauma that underlies many challenges in Indigenous communities like mental wellness, family violence, justice system involvement, child welfare and addictions. Sessions with Elders and workshops help participants learn new skills in areas like communication, traditional parenting, harm prevention, goal setting, and building self-esteem. Participants have the chance to work with Elders and traditional knowledge keepers one-on-one. They also are provided support to help navigate criminal and family justice systems. Funding from the NIB Trust Fund has helped secure the expertise and knowledge from the local Elders and strengthen family ties by sharing language, ceremony, teachings and peacemaking practices. 

Zhawenjigewag Inawemaaganag Family Healing Program 

The Zhawenjigewag Inawemaaganag Family Healing Program aims to reconnect families through traditional cultural knowledge and peacemaking practices, foster personal development and holistic wellness through cultural knowledge and personal life skills, and contribute to community development. The program gives families who have experienced family violence the chance to reconnect and heal together through conflict resolution and traditional teachings. 

Through this reconnection, Reggie feels as though he has had an opportunity to ease the pain caused by Indian Residential School and found new strength within himself, as well as a sense of belonging. Reggie still has many skills he would like to learn, and he hopes to one day pass the knowledge he has gained onto his grandchildren and will continue to practice his Cree way of life. 

As an Indian Residential School Survivor, Reggie has always had the goal of relearning his traditional Cree way of life and reconnecting to the land his late father once survived on. The NIB Trust Fund helped Reggie return to his home territory and learn traditional land-based skills like hunting, fishing, and trapping. 

Danita Lewis is an intergenerational survivor pursuing her Masters of Indigenous Language Revitalization at the University of Victoria. When moving away from her home community to pursue higher education, Danita had to make the tough decision to take unpaid leave from work and significantly decrease her income. With help from the NIB Trust Fund, Danita was able to relieve some of the financial stress and focus her time and energy on attaining her education goals. 

This program offered Danita the opportunity to revive Indigenous language, culture, traditions, and education for herself and share what she has learned with future generations. Danita has learned skills and tools that she will carry with her throughout her life.

With funding provided by the NIB Trust Fund, Myia has had the opportunity to be a part of the revitalization of her language and focus solely on her education. She was able to spend her class time learning and has begun incorporating the language and teachings in her everyday life. Myia hopes to one day pass on the knowledge she has learned to her future children and grandchildren. 

With support from the NIB Trust Fund, Myia Antone, an intergenerational survivor, was able to attend the Squamish Language Immersion Program from the First Nations Languages Program at Simon Fraser University. Through this program, Myia had the opportunity to learn her traditional language, and explore how her ancestor's worldviews are embedded into the language and the current world around her.  

Myia sits on the Squamish Nation Youth Advisory Council and is confident that learning her language will help her better represent the Squamish youth and gain a better understanding of what it means to be a leader in her community.

Alejandra is focused on exploring and finding solutions to the impacts of intergenerational trauma caused by colonial violence. Alejandra has seen how the science community lacks a solid understanding of how trauma can be passed down through generations on a biological and psychological level and as a result, acknowledges that there is a lack of concrete solutions and resources for Indigenous peoples who suffer from this trauma. It is her goal to use her education to study intergenerational trauma from a scientific perspective and apply that knowledge to initiate a brighter, positive future for Indigenous peoples in Canada. Alejandra has made the Dean of Science Honours List and been chosen to work on an exceptional research project with Dr. Kim Matheson, Director, and Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University. This project will explore how intergenerational exposure to harmful colonial policies have affected Indigenous youth in terms of cultural understanding and pride. Their focus will be on the self-expression of youth through the arts, as a means to reclaim their Indigenous identity and how the youth view this in relation to their mental health.
 

The funding received from the NIB Trust Fund has helped Alejandra immensely on her education journey and gave her the ability to focus solely on her studies and reaching her goals. The scholarship enabled her to purchase important studying resources that will bring long-term benefits in terms of ease and efficiency in the education process.

Alejandra is an intergenerational survivor pursuing an Honours Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Mental Health from Carleton University. After her first year in her program, she realized how important it was for her to give back to her people and start working in the Mental Health field, particularly with the Indigenous population.  

By listening to family and community members share teachings and speak Cree, Charlotte immersed herself in her culture and language. Through her Indigenous Language Revitalization program, she has been able to learn about the experiences, worldviews, and cultures of other Indigenous groups throughout Turtle Island. 

As a mature student, Charlotte would not have been able to complete her studies without the added financial support from the NIB Trust Fund. These funds have helped Charlotte become a proud student and focus on her program rather than finances. 

 “When we become more aware of the many facets of learning our Indigenous languages are an endless source of comfort, healing and inspiration. hiy hiy kinanāskomitināwāw”

As a young girl, Charlotte loved to learn and made a commitment to herself to keep her language and culture alive while also attaining the highest level of education she could without losing her self-identity. Charlotte is an intergenerational survivor and currently pursuing her PhD in Indigenous Language Revitalization at the University of Alberta. 

While also pursuing her studies at U of T, Kira also set the goal of taking Anishinaabemowin language courses so she can directly contribute to the revitalization of her traditional language. Support provided by the NIB Trust Fund helped Kira be able to pursue her language goals and keep the financial stresses behind her so she could focus on all her courses throughout the semesters. 

For Kira, being able to study Criminology and Anishinaabemowin means having the opportunity to ignite change and reach her goal of ending the cycle of violence against Indigenous women and respectfully continuing their legacy. 

Kira studies Social Sciences and Criminology at the University of Toronto and is an intergenerational survivor whose studies surround identifying the systemic flaws in the Canadian Justice System. Her education and background are what has made Kira become passionate about finding solutions to help end the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis. 

“I am grateful for the support from NIB Trust Fund and continue working with the Dene Youth in my community of Fort Good Hope, NWT. My research focus has been on the impacts of residential school trauma on youth, while finding ways to empower them in their Dene identity. I aim to strengthen myself and my community with my research.  My research has been challenging but funding has helped me continue my studies.”

Scholarship – PhD, Indigenous Studies, Philosophy

“Funding from the NIB Trust Fund had helped motivate me to complete my studies. I have furthered my personal skills and knowledge while contributing to my community.  My community has and will continue to benefit from my culinary program, as I will provide my community my skills and knowledge by teaching and educating about meal preparation and nutrition information.”

“My cultural learning experience has been humbling. I have had the opportunity to learn my Mi’kmaq traditions and knowledge. My family had taught me that it’s our responsibility to share our knowledge and I am so grateful to now to have learned about my culture. I hope to share these teachings with my community. My experience with the NIB Trust Fund was simple and straight forward.  Each and every person I spoke with were so efficient, professional yet very friendly.”

Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation, Newfoundland and Labrador

Award – Language, tradition, beading/crafts/sewing

The NIB Trust Fund provided us the opportunity to create a program to  deliver services of trauma informed healing, employability training,  Metis culture and identity strengthening activities. Our Metis Women’s  Bridging program offered weekly professional trauma counselling to  survivors and family members and a series of workshops. Workshops  included traditional meal preparation, medicine preparation and Métis  art teachings and creation. Participants are now able to connect to a  positive support system for themselves and their families while  continuing to address and reduce isolation, and maintain connections to  Métis culture, language and community.  They can also actively teach the  next generation and increase cultural engagement at both the family and  community-level.

“Thank you to the NIB Trust Fund for investing in the healing and resilience of Metis Women. Often it is a  challenge for Metis survivors who suffer traumas to access funding for  professional counselling and be able to access Metis-specific trauma  informed programs. This program was indeed life changing for the women  who participated.”

– Victoria Pruden, Executive Director, Bridges for Women Society

The Cree language program’s primary objective is to expose students to their language and culture through learning activities in and outside the classroom. We offered land based learning of traditional skills and teachings, invited Elders and Survivors to teach youth or history and share their experiences.  Elders volunteered and taught students in school through storytelling, drum and rattle making, sewing traditional regalia and outfits. Youth learned from knowledge keepers how to build shelters, dancing, making a fire, tree identification, picking herbs, cultivation of medicines, fishing, and snaring of small game. The program also held traditional feasts/gatherings throughout the year to showcase student achievements in the program and language development.

Mentoni kwayask awasisak kistohtamowsowak nehiyawin/Young Children Understanding Themselves Through the Cree Language 

"The NIB Trust Funds has provided an opportunity for Swan River First Nation to assist students in the revitalization of the Cree language and culture in our community through Cree language classes, head start programming and several cultural activities. The Metoni kwayask awasisak kistohtamowsowak nehiyawin program allowed the youth to feel a sense of pride and are working towards making healthy life choices.” 

The MALS hosted a series of focus groups, research, discussion, and engagement with department heads, future students, alumni and Elders to revitalize, retain and promote Indigenous languages through the creation of an Indigenous language teacher certification program.  The resulting language model is adaptable to meet various institutional specifications and can be utilized across the province.

“The Manitoba Aboriginal Language Strategy (MALS) is a committee driven strategy to revitalize, retain and promote the survival of Indigenous languages in Manitoba. Receiving funding has enabled the organization to move forward in the development of an Indigenous focused language teacher training certification program. This is a significant project for Manitoba, and we are incredibly grateful to the NIB Trust Fund for the opportunity to make it a reality.”

Funding provided by the NIB Trust Fund assisted the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition to create a unique technology and literacy based program. The goals of the I-STEAM program were to provide adult learners the opportunity to explore the fields of Indigenous Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. The initiative was piloted in three sites throughout Ontario and we found many students engaged and eager to participate. The students, as a result of I-STEAM programming, had increased their individual literacy and work place employability.

“The Indigenous-Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (I-STEAM) program was developed as a targeted learning resource for adult literacy. The program is filled with exciting and innovative lesson plans for every level. The I-STEAM program helps students to understand that Indigenous peoples have always had this knowledge in their ancestors’ repertoire to survive since time immemorial. The Ontario Native Literacy Coalition (ONLC) would like to see more students pursue careers in these areas and to know it is genetically embedded in their DNA to be leaders in these fields.”

-Michelle Davis, CEO, Ontario Native Literacy Coalition

This program’s main objective had been to provide language classes and certificate customized to meet the community’s priorities for language revitalization. These classes encouraged and promoted Cree as the working language in Chisasibi organizations.  The results have been great, language capacity has increased and students have acquired the skills, tools, knowledge and strategies to promote and use the Cree language within the community.  The staff at the Chisasibi Heritage and Cultural Centre have a renewed and strengthened sense of responsibility as Language Keepers.

Victoria, British Columbia and Chisasibi Heritage and Cultural Centre, Quebec

Certificate Program in Aboriginal Language Revitalization

“I have been inspired and humbled for the opportunity to work alongside our partners from Chisasibi Cultural and Heritage Centre. The protection of the Cree language, stories, cultural history, and traditional practices – this demonstrates their resilience and strength in response to colonization, the impact of residential schools, and the relocation of the entire community. While the University of Victoria is just a small part of their journey, I think that it’s significant to mention that we had 23 graduates. This speaks to the significance and impact of co-developing educational programs with community partners and stakeholders.”

-Tania Muir, Director of Cultural Management Programs, Division of Continuing Studies, University of Victoria

The goals of this community program was to provide a language outreach program as a means to heal the traumas of residential schools through a rejuvenation of Cree language. Classes were offered to students from all levels of knowledge and included everyone from Elders who did not have language learning opportunities, to fluent Cree speakers wanting to re-acquire literacy skills, and to non-Cree speakers starting with the basics of the Cree language. The program attained its objective of increasing language literacy to survivors and their children with 150 participants.  There has also been increased outreach for Cree language learning to the greater Cree community through a social media Cree language page. This page has users across the several Cree communities and, as a result, is promoting and expanding the Cree language.  This program has helped our community to be more in touch with our beautiful language and solidify the importance of language to the connection with our ancestors and culture.

Maintaining our Language: Cree Literacy for Wemindji Adults

 “I was thinking last night before I went to bed about the language and the meaning of words and I remembered hearing my grandmother and aunt talking to me before I went to residential school.  It’s different now, the language, people don’t speak that way anymore.  I was thinking after our class last night, that what we are learning, this is the right way how to say it.”

– Wemindji Community Cree Language Program Student

“I am grateful to have been chosen as a recipient of the NIB Trust Fund. My goal as a future physician is to work with First Nation communities and address issues on inadequate primary health care. I also want to focus on mental health issues that are affecting First Nation communities at epidemic rates. As a First Nation doctor, I will be able to advocate for our communities and make a change.”

The Ripple Effect is a community-based program developed to reconnect community with culture. The program’s main focus has been language revitalization and hosting cultural events throughout the year in partnership with the Lennox Island Health Center. Our goal was to open the discussion of intergenerational impacts of Residential Schools within the community and find positive ways to heal. The program has brought about new ways to introduce language learning styles and techniques to promote and ensure community members become fluent Mi’kmaq speakers.

“The sense of pride amongst our community members is growing each and every time someone takes a step forward on their healing journey. The Ripple Effect program allows us to learn together and heal together. It is an amazing process.” 

“The knowledge I gained from these cultural teachings have made a big difference in my life. I learned the traditional way of living and how to live off the land of Mother Earth. I was taught how to hunt, how to properly smoke meat, how to set nets for fish, and how to prepare duck. I am proud to be able to practice my culture while also learning to speak my language.  I am thankful and grateful I was selected for funding to learn my culture and the traditional way of life.”

Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, Saskatchewan

Award – Fish drying, hunting, preparation and language

“The NIB Trust Fund has helped me reach my education goals towards becoming an Electrical Engineer. This scholarship allowed me to focus on my studies and maintain an above average grade point. I plan to find, design and implement better, safer and more renewable sources of energy in and outside my community. I aim to contribute to a cleaner and greener Mother Earth as environmental protection is important to my First Nations culture.”

“My goal is to be in my community, giving back as much as I can, but also focusing on my community elders and youth. I say this because our elders are our teachers and the youth is going to one day be our leaders. I want to show them, that through hard work and dedication, no matter where you come from, you really can obtain all your goals and dreams.”

Nisga’a Village of New Aiyanish, British Coumbia

“The NIB Trust Fund has enabled me to find the balance I needed to manage the many educational goals I set for myself while achieving my Master’s Degree.  I intend to share my knowledge, experiences and teachings with my community and hope I can give back in any way.  I have been endlessly inspired, supported and encouraged by my community. I cannot thank the NIB Trust Fund enough for their support and I will be forever grateful.”

Lennox Island First Nation, Prince Edward Island

The primary purpose of the ”We Are Better Together” program was to address some of the major issues stemming from the impacts of Indian Residential School, such as; loss of language, culture, family structure, and disconnection from the land.  Okanagan language, traditional knowledge building, and food preparation workshops were held seasonally throughout the year while also incorporating cultural identity, self-esteem/expression and self-awareness. Participants learned traditional territory locations, kokanne and trout fishing, berry picking, tea and medicine gathering. The program also included a “Calling Our Spirits Home – Healing Walk” from Kamloops Indian Residential School to the communities of Quilchena and Spahomin as a way of enriching solidarity and healing as a community.  High interest and attendance of these workshops and the walk confirm this programming is needed and has direct beneficial impacts on individuals, families and community.

Kwu Xast “We Are Better Together” Program

“The Kwu Xast program provided language workshops and training to teach Okanagan language.  Students participated in field trips to traditional territories and enjoyed knowledge keeper storytelling”

When Chantelle graduated from high school, the COVID-19 pandemic was at its’ peak. Like many others her age, her senior year changed from going to school every day, seeing friends, playing hockey and softball, and just being a teenager to zoom classrooms, social distancing, no sports, and a graduation like no other.  

The pandemic left Chantelle nervous and stressed about the future path into post-secondary education.  Feeling lost and unsure she reached out to the Métis Nation of BC, and they helped her enroll in the Office Assistant Certificate at Okanagan College. This one-year program seemed to be the right step for Chantelle to gain an introduction to ‘college life’ and develop core skills for any career.  Chantelle has gained confidence and is using her new skills and experiences as an Office Assistant and aims to start her own small business.  Support from the NIB Trust Fund helped provide Chantelle the opportunity to focus more on her studies and less about financial stress.

Kayla Morin is a third-generation student at the University of Alberta, Aboriginal Teacher Education program. Like many students this past year, Pimohteh Okisikow Iskwew (Woman who walks with the angels) has felt unbalanced in life due to the challenges brought on by the pandemic. She’s working to obtain her bachelor’s in education and join the long line of educators in her family. She hopes to be able to return to her community as a teacher and use her education to help the next generation, just like those in her family have. Kayla dreams do not stop there, she plans to pursue a master’s and a Doctorate.  

Kayla has a strong relationship with culture and community and is a proud, engaged community member of the Enoch Cree Nation. She enjoys helping and participating within her community through cultural camps, cooking at feasts, and spending quality time with the Elders in her community. She credits her education for helping her learn new ways to weave Indigenous ways of doing and knowing into her future lessons and her family for showing a healthy life pathway, and giving her the strength, dedication, and resiliency to succeed.

NIB Trust Fund provides resources to create opportunities that improve the quality of life for First Nations and Métis in Canada. These are some of our stories.

Click on any of the stories to learn more about some of the amazing individuals and organizations the NIB Trust Fund has supported. Contact comms@nibtrust.ca if you are beneficiary and would like to be featured! 

The Union of New Brunswick Indians Training Institute

Healing Through Nature – A Cultural Connection , New Brunswick

NIBTF Communications

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