Name Nan doo Giizik kwe Tribal Nation Ojibway – Nipissing First Nationin Northern Ontario Heal Carol Mercedes Couchie is a Nishnawbe kwe (Ojibway woman) and a member of Nipissing First Nation. She is the eldest daughter of Wilfred Couchie, niece of Edna Lewis, granddaughter of Margret Chevier, and great-granddaughter of…
Tribal Nation Yurok Determination Jessica Carter descends from traditional healers from the Yurok villages of Requa, Wehlkwew, Hoppaw, Sregon, Wausec and the coastal village at Dry Lagoon. Requa is on the north bank of the Klamath River. The river has been a source of abundance for the Yurok people…
Name WâpanachkosMorningstar Tribal Nation Chipewyan DeneSalt River First NationTreaty 8 Thrive Wife and mother of four beautiful children, Joline Hardisty is from Chipewyan Dene/Cree First Nation in Treaty 8 territory in Canada. Her parents, Eileen and Henry Beaver raised her with strong values off the grid along the Treaty 8…
Tribal Nation Mi’kmaq Respect Joseph and Susan Francis raised their family close to the coast all year. They followed the seasonal round of their Mi’kmaw ancestors. They had twelve children, their youngest a daughter they named Serena. By the time Serina was born, her parents had lost five of her…
The Spirit Aligned Leadership Program elevates the lives, voices, and dreams of Indigenous elder women who are working to heal, strengthen, and restore the balance of Indigenous communities and the world. Legacy Leaders and Future Legacy Leaders are connected knowers and co-creators empowered to identify their values, inherent purpose, and…
Tribal Nation Chippewa Cree, Rocky Boy Reservation Remember Minnie Big Knife was born at her family’s home. The first words she heard were Cree. Her parents were members of the Cree group who had been displaced from their homelands after the Louis Riel Rebellion of 1855. Traveling throughout Montana, they…
Name Xóotsk’Little Bear Tribal Nation Koyukon Athabascan / Tlingit Emerge Amiah Xóotsk’ Johnson is an artist from Southeast Alaska, belonging to the Lingít and Denaakk’e (Yakutat Tlingit) community. She works full-time at the Alaska Native Medical Center while pursuing higher education. In addition, Amiah is an entrepreneur who creates traditional…
Katsi is a member of the St.Regis Mohawk Tribe. She was born and grew up on the territory of Akwesasne along the shores of the Saint Lawrence River. Her Mohawk name, Tekatsi:tsia’kwa, means “she’s picking up flowers”, a good name for an Indigenous midwife to carry. Serving as an ambassador to the landscape…
Name Muxiis Tribal Nation Yakama Nation Aspiration At the base of the Cascade Mountains, in the heart of the Yakama Nation, lives a young woman with an aspiration for her people to heal from the historic trauma of colonization. Leslie Swan is a language learner, a teacher, a doula, an…
Name Watakhayetsxw Has a Large Copper Shield Tribal Nation Gitanyow Sustain The traditional territory of the Gitanyow is a breathtakingly beautiful landscape in British Columbia. It is the homeland of Debra Good, and the place her ancestors and relatives have lovingly protected through their inherent title, jurisdiction and law. The…
