Governance
Pima’tisowin e’ mimtotaman Danser Pour La Vie | We Dance For Life
Ebkwaataagezejig Council
Grandmother Advisory Council
In the Anishinaabe language, Ebkwaataagezejig describes coming together to tell stories, advise, and give information on how to look at things. In this way, we are not telling people how to live or imposing colonial standards. Instead, we humbly acknowledge that we do not know it all, but we have lived to a degree and can listen without judgement. Nikwaataagzidjik, meaning speaking with an open mind, is one of the words guiding our work.
The circle of Ebkwaataagezejig will provide guidance through knowledge of their respective traditions, ceremonies, and language, and connection to their lands and territories. Each of the grandmothers on Ebkwaataagezejig also sit on one of the three regional family advisory councils.
Ebkwaataagezejig will bring forth their knowledge and wisdom to ensure that Indigenous culture, traditions, values, spirituality, and all collective aspects of our various ways of life are respected and inclusive. Their wisdom will ensure the work is uplifting, life affirming, and healing for all Peoples.
Gloria Oshkabewisens-McGregor comes from the traditional territory of Mnidoo Mnising, Wikwemikong Unceded Reserve and for many years she has resided in Whitefish River First Nation and considers it as her home community. She identifies with her clan and spirit name, “Mshiikenh Mnido Mkwa Shkiizhgo Kwe, which means in the English language, “Turtle Spirit Bear Eyes Woman” and is of the Bear Clan.She served her community of Whitefish River First Nation for nineteen years as a Primary school Educator at Shawanosowe School, and also provided cultural languages-based curriculum. Gloria graduated from Lakehead University’s Native Language Instructor Program. She went on to serve as an Elder in Residence for Lakehead University and Waabnode Cambrian College in providing cultural teachings and traditional counseling for post-secondary students and staff for seven years.From 2012-2013, Gloria was an integral part of student lifelong learning through Kenjigewin Teg Educational Institute’s. Gloria continues to be one of KTEI’s esteemed Traditional Knowledge Keeper/Faculty Members.Currently, Gloria is an active member of the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation of Mnidoo Mnising Elders Council. For the past eleven years, she has worked as a Traditional Practitioner with Shkakamik Kwe Health Centre in Sudbury, Ontario providing traditional healing and wellness services for its residents and surrounding First Nations.
Marie Eshkibok Trudeau is Anishinabe from the Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation in Ontario. She is a Grandmother to 5 grandchildren and has 2 children. Her Grandmother pipe, Sundance Pipe, Water drum, WWII Veterans Eagle Staff (Inherited) carries her throughout her life. She is at her 4 level of understanding in the Midewiwin Lodge. The Sweatlodge was mentored to her by a very humble grandmother, Teresa Bisson from Wikwemikong. Marie continues to conduct cultural workshops in both the US and Canada. Marie is semi-fluent in her native language and continues to learn her language thru her husband, Wilfred Trudeau.
Enaabiischigejig
Ontario Regional Family Advisory Council
In Anishnaabemowin Enaabiischigejig roughly translates to “people that come together and form something” to help the ones that have someone that has gone missing or was murdered.
My name is Jessie McDonald and my spiritual name is Nootinashiick given to me by my grandfather, Joe Kelly. I am Ojibway from the Treaty 3 area and am the mother of three beautiful girls. I live in Minaki, Ontario, which is a small hamlet and tourist area.I am a residential school survivor, and a survivor and member of MMIWGT2S+. I lost contact with my parents and siblings which caused me to lose out on love and security with them. That is a very real and sad part of my life. Today, I have three grandchildren who I love and try to support as much as possible. They live with me and I try to ensure their lives are different from my childhood. Although this is a struggle at times, I show them that I am strong and teach them strength and to never give up on anything.I enjoy camping, fishing, sewing, and walking. I love to listen to stories told by Elders. I currently work at the day care in Wabaseemoong First Nation, which is where I am a band member. I am honoured and proud to sit on the Ontario Advisory Council and am learning more ways to help heal our pain. I believe when we share our knowledge and our experiences, we can heal not only our own pain but help others that are dealing with similar tragedies.Miigwetch Pamaa minow.
Wilfred “Willie” Trudeau is from Cape Smith from the Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation in Ontario. He graduated from Laurentian University with a Bachelor of Arts and holds a social work certificate from Canadore College, North Bay. Willie is a traditional dancer, a craftsman, and a carrier of the Little Boy Waterdrum. He holds his 3rd degree Midewiwin and is currently working on his 4th. Willie is fluent in his language and shares this knowledge with the community. He is also a keeper of ancestral stories.
I am Tessa Mandamin from Wabaseemoong IFN also known as Whitedog. I am 16 years old and in grade 11 at Wabaseemoong Secondary School. I am the eldest daughter and have two younger brothers who I adore and want to set a good example for them.My maternal grandmother and I are very close and she has been a guide for me and a mentor throughout my life. She is the center of my world and I love her very much. I am a second-generation survivor of the IRS and a family member of the MMIWGT2S+. I am very honoured to be asked to partake in the Ontario Regional Advisory Council as the Youth representative. I want to share my creative ideas and thoughts about how the We Dance For Life can attract and keep the interest of the youth in Ontario. I enjoy contributing to the group conversations and help with all tasks as needed and hope to share with other youths.
Ahnee Boojoo my name is Migizi-Inini(Eagleman) ndizhinikaaz, Henvey Inlet Ndojeba, Mukwaw dodem.Elwood is Ojibway and of the Bear Clan and was born and raised in Henvey Inlet. He is a father of seven daughters, one son, four step-sons, and a step-daughter, who range in age from 6 months to 33 years, and is the proud grandfather of 8 grandchildren.In addition to his home responsibilities, Elwood is an Eagle Staff carrier and a Rain Dance Chief. He has been an Eagle staff carrier since 2013 and rain danced for over fourteen years before being gifted a Rain Dance Lodge. Elwood enjoys giving back to the community and remains involved in his role as Captain of the Fire Rescue Team in Henvey Inlet, and a semi-retired Forest firefighter. He also continues to work in health support for Residential School survivors.Elwood has committed time to work on the National Awareness Campaign for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls with the Ontario Regional Advisory Council. Elwood lost his mother and his sister in 1995, when he was 30 years old. He continues to seek justice for them and uses his lived experiences and wisdom to help others.
Marie Eshkibok Trudeau is Anishinabe from the Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation in Ontario. She is a Grandmother to 5 grandchildren and has 2 children. Her Grandmother pipe, Sundance Pipe, Water drum, WWII Veterans Eagle Staff (Inherited) carries her throughout her life. She is at her 4 level of understanding in the Midewiwin Lodge. The Sweatlodge was mentored to her by a very humble grandmother, Teresa Bisson from Wikwemikong. Marie continues to conduct cultural workshops in both the US and Canada. Marie is semi-fluent in her native language and continues to learn her language thru her husband, Wilfred Trudeau.
Wachay, hello. My name is Alice Loone. I'm from a little fly-in community called Fort Albany First Nation. I'm a mother of 5 children, including 1 pre-deceased. I am also a grandma of 9 grandchildren and a great-grandma of 3 great-grandchildren. Since I was young, I have consistently practiced my traditional ways and have also experienced the western way. I have worked at our nearby Daycare Center for more than 25 years. I go out camping where my late parents camping grounds are. My relatives and I began a Cultural Camp gathering called Lawrence Mark’s Cultural Camp in recognition of my late dad, Lawrence Mark. Many local community members visit the camps grounds, where we camp out and share our insights with whomever joins our program between the ages 8 and up. At camp, we facilitate planning and preparing wild food, trapping, snaring, snowshoeing, cranberry picking, Labrador tea picking, getting and replacing boughs, 7 grandfather teachings, and cedar foot soaks. The male facilitators also teach the young men how to harvest moose, caribou, and geese as well as how to prepare the blinds, getting wood for the camps, hauling them back and forth, and getting snow/ice for our drinking water. We try hard to pass down living our cultural ways of protecting our lands for our future generations.
Quebec & Nunavut Regional Family Advisory Council
Lisa is a member of the Mohawk community of Kanesatake who is proud of and embraces her culture and spiritual beliefs. Lisa is a single mom of three boys aged 19, 17, and 9. She has dedicated her entire life to raising her sons and wants to create a legacy for her entire family.When Lisa was 7 years old, her mother went missing in Akwesasne, a Mohawk community that straddles the borders of Quebec, Ontario, and the United States. Lisa’s mother was missing for seven weeks when her decomposed remains were found September 16, 1988. Since the disappearance and death of her mother, Lisa overcame many hardships and struggles in her young adult life. Dealing with depression and abandonment issues, anxiety and a feeling of no self-worth were some of the biggest battles. Lisa felt like there was no hope and that no one cared and attempted to take her own life at the age of 16.There is no love that can replace or fulfill that of a mother’s love.When children lose a parent, it changes the entire fabric of time and so many things are left to unravel. When a child no longer has their parent whom they would look to for advice, how to conduct oneself, love, acceptance, guidance, and spirituality, many issues and symptoms arise. It has been Lisa’s experience that this manifested to a point where she created a life of mere survival. To survive, choices were made, and more times than not, those choices ended up being ones of trial and error.Today, Lisa is a professional chef and entrepreneur who has a passion for creating healthy and good cuisine. She focuses on Healing through plant-based medicine and foods and is a positive role model for her family, community, and others.Lisa continues to advocate on behalf of children of the missing and murdered and that they also not be forgotten and the need to acknowledge how deeply their lives are impacted and affected by the loss of a parent.
I am 34 years old and the father of two sons, aged 8 and 13. I was 5 years old when I lost my late mother Rose. She was born May 13, 1968 and her body was found on November 16, 1991 in Val Dor, Quebec. She was 23 years old when she was killed. I have been fighting for justice now for about a decade. Although the police reopened her case about two years ago, there was not enough evidence to prosecute her killers. I still believe there is a way to find her justice and peace. I have been an airport supervisor for more than ten years and have also been coaching on the ice since I was 18. Playing hockey made me leave my community at the age of 13. While away, I finished high school and went to college in Sudbury, Ontario for a year before coming home. Since returning to my community, I have helped reconstruct our old village and fish a lot to help feed our elders and my family.
My name is Deseray Rich and I am Innu First Nation and Inuk from Labrador. I grew up in a small town called North West River in Labrador. I was raised by my great grandparents until my teenage years. My great grandmother passed when I was 6 years old, and my great grandfather passed when I was 12. After his death, my siblings and I were placed into foster care. We were separated from each other and had infrequent contact. Not only were we placed with different families, but we were also separated to different locations and provinces.As an Indigenous woman, I have faced many hardships throughout my life, but I am still here and have strength to help my people. I am a survivor of both domestic and sexual violence. In 2014, I lost a loved one. She was someone I looked up to, who provided me with guidance, and who cared for me in a foster family capacity.My experiences have made me passionate about helping others through their healing journey. I am currently working as a Victim Services Coordinator through the First People Justice Center of Montreal.
I am 34 years old and the father of two sons, aged 8 and 13. I was 5 years old when I lost my late mother Rose. She was born May 13, 1968 and her body was found on November 16, 1991 in Val Dor, Quebec. She was 23 years old when she was killed. I have been fighting for justice now for about a decade. Although the police reopened her case about two years ago, there was not enough evidence to prosecute her killers. I still believe there is a way to find her justice and peace. I have been an airport supervisor for more than ten years and have also been coaching on the ice since I was 18. Playing hockey made me leave my community at the age of 13. While away, I finished high school and went to college in Sudbury, Ontario for a year before coming home. Since returning to my community, I have helped reconstruct our old village and fish a lot to help feed our elders and my family.
Wawahtiw
Western Regional Family Advisory Council
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories
My name is Nina Wilson. I am a Nakota Dakota, Nehiyaw mother of 5 and grandmother of 8. I live on the Kahkewistahaw First Nation in south eastern saskatchewan. I work within the Treaty 4 territory as an advocate, knowledge keeper, and educator. My role has become less frontline and more ceremonial lodges and indigenous governance circles. I am grateful to support in any capacity I can. I am educated at the post-secondary level as well as in our languages and traditional culture.
Prairie Adaoui (Dustyhorn) is a treaty four Nehiyaw Iskwew (Cree woman) who resides on treaty six territory in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). She is a second-generation survivor of residential schools and the 60s scoop. She holds a community support worker certificate.Prairie is an advocate for her community and is passionate about creating a voice for her Indigenous people. She has worked and served her Indigenous community in the city of Edmonton since 2005. She has worked with many Indigenous nonprofit agencies and provided permanent housing supports to Indigenous families.Her own healing journey was fueled by having to work through the trauma of losing a loved one. She became aware of the need to find traditional healing and supports for MMIWGT2S+ families and friends affected by this epidemic.Prairie believes that having a strong supportive community, ceremony, and loving allies will improve the health and wellness of those who have lost or continue to search for their loved ones.
Stephanie Harpe is a proud member of the Fort Mckay First Nation and the Niece of Historical Chief Dorothy McDonald who was an activist and leader that challenged governments to protect the traditional territory of her people. Stephanie is a survivor of residential schools. Her Mother, Ruby Anne McDonald, was murdered in 1999 in Edmonton and the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) have yet to charge anyone in her death. After losing her Mother and many friends in Edmonton, as well as surviving an attempt on her own life, Stephanie Harpe started her journey of advocating for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. She is the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW). In this capacity, she hosts the Murdered, Missing and Exploited Indigenous People’s Support Group (MMEIP) and serves as the National Representative for Aboriginalalert.ca. She is also an award winning humanitarian and singer/songwriter with Stephanie Harpe Experience (S.H.E.), as well as an actress and former casting agent for local to Hollywood Television and Film. In her advocacy, she travelled through 31 Indigenous Communities in Western Canada in 2019 as the International Advocate for Murdered, Missing and Exploited Indigenous People’s with Safety and Wellness Super Clinic; she has been asked to provide keynote addresses, such as her address to the National Models United Nations International Conference in Banff 2017; she became a Tedx Talk Recipient titled Indigenous Suffering and Survival to Success; and, served as the United Nations Youth Representative at the world’s largest youth conferences in Malaysia, Dubai and London to speak and sing.
Connie Greyeyes is an 'accidental' activist. A Cree woman who hails from the Bigstone Cree Nation and was born and raised in FSJ BC. A wife and the mother of two sons, Jason and Jordan. She began advocacy work when she started to realize that a shocking number of Indigenous women in her community had gone missing or had been murdered. She began organizing local vigils to support the families of the missing and murdered women and raise awareness, which led her to the steps of parliament. She has advocated for families for nearly a decade worked closely with Amnesty International on the report, “Out of Sight, Out of Mind.”Most recently working on an IGBA toolkit with the Province of BC
Margaret is a young woman in a drum group called New Dawn, which was created over 10 years ago in 2009. The drum group is composed of 4 sisters, who overcame the traumas of the foster care system. They created the drum group as equals with no leader, which upholds their views of women empowering one another. They drum to bring healing to communities & awareness for MMIW and other movements. Thanks to their grandparents, Margaret and her sisters grew a fond appreciation and understanding for their culture and heritage.Happy Charles, Margaret’s mother, went missing in April of 2017. The family continues to search for answers as to where she may be. They grew closer due to this tragedy, and continue to move forward raising awareness and helping other families with similar experiences. They are currently in the process of trying to open an office specifically for the families of missing loved ones. With this office they plan to give various types of support that have not been properly provided by authorities. These supports include but are not limited to; how to do a ground search, mapping and other aspects of search and rescue as well as mental health supports and resources.
Ma Ma wopayowin Kosita miyo itasowewina ayoci miyo mitehiwin ekwa miyo mamitoneyiciikewin
Core Team
The Core Team – Ma Ma wopayowin Kosita miyo itasowewina ayoci miyo mitehiwin ekwa miyo mamitoneyiciikewin – is comprised of the regional Coordinators and supports that formed Pima’tisowin e’ mimtotaman. Together, as our Cree name indicates, the Core Team is a group that gathers together to make good decisions from good hearts and good minds.
The core team is comprised of MMIWGT2S+ family members who are serving as Regional Coordinators for each of the three regions: Western, Ontario, and Quebec. Working alongside the MMIWGT2S+ family members are known and trusted allies and supports who help facilitate the MMIWGT2S+ kinship-led direction of Pima’tisowin e’ mimtotaman.
The core team is comprised of MMIWGT2S+ family members who are serving as Regional Coordinators for each of the three regions: Western, Ontario, and Quebec. Working alongside the MMIWGT2S+ family members are known and trusted Indigenous supports and allies who help facilitate the MMIWGT2S+ kinship-led direction of Pima’tisowin e’ mimtotaman.
ndizhnikaaz Niigaan E’maset kwe Anishinaabe kwe ndaaw ndoodem Waabisheshi Wiigwaaskinigaa ndoonjibaaFor over 27 years, Meggie has been a passionate and relentless advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans, and Two-Spirit (MMIWGT2S+) and their relations. She has experienced the loss of four family members and has worked tirelessly to honour her sister, Biiskwaa-noodin Kwe baa, by sharing the love and memories she imparted. Sonya baa set the sisterhood bar high. She was intelligent, kind, gentle, and funny. She taught me to love deeply and to forgive often.Meggie’s healing journey has fuelled her desire for truth and justice and taught her the importance of working with families from a place of trust. She has turned her attention to the healing journey of families and supporting their paths to grieve and heal from traumatic loss. She is dedicated to assisting the families in honouring the spirits of their loved ones and believes transformative change grows from grassroots communities working together.Meggie is writing a book, First Nations and All Our Relations (1764 – present), that traces the collective ancestry of the the Anishnaabe people exodus from Michigan into Manitoulin Island. In addition to honouring this collective remembrance, the proceeds of the book will support the placement of permanent grave markers and the continued upkeep of First Nations cemeteries on Manitoulin Island.
Catherine Rhinelander is a member of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and is the mother of two wonderful daughters. She works for the Ministry of the Attorney General for Ontario and was part of the legal team that represented Ontario at the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Throughout the years, she has volunteered with numerous Indigenous organizations within the community. Currently, Catherine is co-chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group to the Law Society of Ontario, secretary for Committee of Diversity and Inclusion (“CODI”), and volunteers with the Ontario MMIWGT2S+ Loved Ones Commemoration Committee. She has also sat on numerous Boards and Committees and has coached students for mock trials. Catherine is committed to working with and supporting families who have lost loved ones through crimes of violence and hopes to create awareness and educate others about this national tragedy.
My name is Autumn Dodge and I am a member of Bkejwanong Unceded Territory home of the Ojibwe, Potawatomi and Odawa peoples, as knows as Walpole Island First Nation #46 located in Southwestern Ontario. It is known for its unique environment and as the resting place of Tecumseh.I grew up in Bkejwanong territory but also spent time on my mother’s reserve of Onyota’a:ka Oneida of the Thames #41 and London where I continued my education, also located in Southwestern Ontario.My education and background are a combination of the arts, including a diploma in photography, and social service work as a receptionist and outreach worker serving the London urban Indigenous population.I am honoured to be working and supporting the MMIWGT2S+ families on their journey to pay tribute to their loved ones.
Lara Koerner Yeo is a settler feminist and activist who advocates for the advancement of Indigenous and women’s rights in international and domestic forums. She practices law at Cavalluzzo LLP in the areas of constitutional, human rights, administrative, and labour law. Lara’s constitutional law and human rights practice focuses on inherent, Aboriginal and Treaty rights, equality rights, and freedom of association and expression matters. She is a Co-Chair of the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) where she has contributed to advocacy on identifying and eliminating the root causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls. She has also worked with Human Rights Watch (Women’s Rights Division) on the role of policing in the crisis of violence against Indigenous women and girls, contributing to Those Who Take Us Away (2013) and Police Abuse of Indigenous Women in Saskatchewan (2017). Lara has served as the North American representative on the Young Feminist Activism Advisory Group of the Association for Women’s Rights in Development and worked with various human rights organizations including Justice for Girls and the West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund.
Dr. Julie Kaye is a white settler living in Kaminasaskwatominaskwak (Saskatoon) in Treaty 6 territory and Métis homelands. She was born and raised in Mohkinstsis – Blackfoot for the place where the Elbow and Bow River meet and the City of Calgary now resides – in the territories of the Blackfoot and the peoples of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta. Dr. Kaye is an anti-colonial scholar working in the Department of Sociology at the University of Saskatchewan. She works alongside families, relations, and grassroots organizers of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, plus (MMIWG2S+) and decolonial, anti-violence organizing and research alongside Indigenous-led responses to colonial gendered violence. As an identified ally, co-conspirator, and accomplice, she works as a national advisor for Pimatisowin e mimitotaman – Dance for Life – Danser pour la Vie.
Gmiigwetchwendaami naakii’yiing ki dedbinwe debendaagoziyiing mikanaak mnising.
We are grateful to work in the territory of many nations across Turtle Island.