Two Alexander women will be recognized next month for their contributions to aboriginal arts and education.
Jody Kootenay and Sage Arcand-Roan, both of Alexander, are two of 19 Alberta aboriginal women who will be recognized this May at the 18th annual Esquao Awards Gala.
The Esquao Awards recognize the achievements of aboriginal women in Alberta. Recipients are nominated by members of the community.
Women are the movers and shakers in aboriginal communities, says Rachelle Venne, CEO of the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (which manages the Esquao Awards), and the ones community members turn to for advice and support. “They are usually the heart of the community.”
These awards are meant to fight the negative stereotypes around aboriginal women, Venne says, and to inspire youth to be more active in their community.
Nominated in the Aspiring Young Women category, Arcand-Roan, 14, is an award-winning powwow dancer who has performed at competitions across North America, including the Gathering of Nations Powwow – the largest powwow in North America.
Coming from a family of dancers, Arcand-Roan says she’s been doing traditional Cree dances all her life. “It’s what I like to do all summer.” She prefers jingle style (a healing dance that features a dress covered with jingling rods), but also dances traditional and fancy. She also recently took up singing traditional songs.
“It’s helped me see the world more,” Arcand-Roan says of her dancing, and it’s also helped her get over stage fright – important when you’re performing before several thousand people. She’s also become more outgoing and competitive through performance.
Arcand-Roan encouraged others to get active and try out sports instead of sitting at home playing video games. That includes both kids and their parents, she adds. “They should be role models for their children.”
Kootenay, a mother of three and Arcand-Roan’s aunt, was nominated in the Education category for her leadership in the areas of health and education. She is currently the director of education for Alexander First Nation.
Kootenay says she grew up in a house of alcohol and drug abuse – abuse so acute that she and her four siblings were twice apprehended by social services. Losing her mom at age 16 taught her to be responsible at a young age, Kootenay says, and encouraged her to work hard and think of others.
The 1980s were an exciting time to be at school in Alexander, Kootenay says. The band had just gotten control of its education system from the federal government, and wanted to teach kids more about the cultural practices the residential school system had tried to stamp out.
“It was no longer about teaching girls to sew and cook and boys to farm,” she says. “We wanted our kids to reach higher.”
Still, Kootenay says she learned little about her cultural identity before she entered post-secondary. As education director, she brought in a Cree immersion program at the band’s school to give students a better sense of themselves, and is working to add more First Nations history into the curriculum.
“I’ve always been passionate about education,” says Kootenay, who recalls bugging her teachers for extra homework to do over Christmas.
She went on to get two bachelor’s degrees and her master’s of education. “For me, it’s never been about getting a better job,” Kootenay says of her post-secondary pursuits. “It was just about learning.”
Kootenay encouraged other aboriginal women to stick to their dreams. “It is achievable. You can do what you want.”
The awards gala is this May 23. Visit www.iaaw.ca for details.
