Women Warriors

  The practice of tattooing has lost honourable meaning in the 21st century. Prior to colonization, Indigenous peoples practiced traditional tattooing as proud announcements of their cultural heritage. Among the Inuit, there are variations of straight lines, Vs, and dots decorated on the face and hands. When young girls enter womanhood,… Read more

Thank you to all the community members of Yellowknife that attended our event, Legacy: Indigenous Women’s Health Stories last week. I’m going to share some details of our event including the agenda and background information about this research project for our Women Warriors audience. I am currently writing my research… Read more

July 23, 2019 – Yellowknife, NT – You are invited to attend the premiere of five digital stories, entitled “Legacy: Indigenous Women’s Health Stories” created by Indigenous women in two locations – Onion Lake Cree Nation, on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan & Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. This event takes place on… Read more

I’m taking a break from my rigorous and jam packed study schedule to share our latest Women Warriors news. I’m reducing the newsletter to a monthly edition due to time constraints – three university courses, planning a summer research project with ethics, and motherhood have occupied all my time. I… Read more

By Rhonda Kronyk You can also download this entire 2 part newsletter as a PDF by clicking here. Many of us have it within our power to make changes – even when we don’t realize we have that power.  For starters, we can lobby universities, health care providers, social agencies and… Read more

By Rhonda Kronyk You can also download this entire 2 part newsletter as a PDF by clicking here. If you watch television, you’ve probably seen ads about the symptoms of a stroke and how to minimize the damage. The most important thing is to get help as quickly as possible. But,… Read more

By Brandy-Lee Maxie I often overshare my life on social media, but I do it for various reasons. It’s a great tool to have a voice and be visible in a world where indigenous women don’t really have a voice and continue to be practically invisible to society. Growing up,… Read more

Central Urban Metis Federation Inc. (CUMFI) hosted a Metis cultural gathering, celebration & fundraiser on Sept. 28th-30th in Saskatoon, SK.   I was invited to attend the Metis Days Gala Fundraiser held at the White Cap Dakota Casino on September 29th. It featured an Indigenous art auction and silent auction… Read more

Twelve Weeks to Healthy Living September 25th – December 11th.   On September 13th I welcomed our new OLCN facilitator, Jaeden Carter, our program and research coordinator, Alicia Oliver, and our backup facilitator and community health representative, Lori Lewis into my home for a full day of facilitator training. Onion… Read more

The lazy days of summer are coming to end. I’ve had a wonderful summer full of adventures with my three daughters – we spent a month in Yellowknife – and we have returned to our home in Lloydminster, Alberta. Our school start date was September 4th and this year I’ve prepared… Read more

On the 10th anniversary of the Government of Canada’s apology for the Residential School system and its legacy, I would like to share with you how I honor survivors and how I teach my daughters ages 8, 7, and 5 about reconciliation. Last summer we visited the Glenbow Museum in… Read more

 Women Warriors Yellowknifer News Column. Printed May 16th, 2018   As cannabis legalization looms the questions surrounding safe usage, distribution and the stigma of drug usage is a swirling debate of misinformation and fear. As a leader of a health promotions program, I wanted concrete information and guidelines to share… Read more

The Teachings of the Medicine Wheel. Losing weight is soul-crushing; it involves deprivation, shame, and guilt. Most weight loss programs, fads or diets require restricting calories, omitting food groups from your diet, and the sting of failure every time you step on that scale and it fails to reflect your… Read more

Why You Need to Take a Break From Social Media     Last August I undertook my first social media detox and removed all my social media apps – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat and Pinterest – from my phone for two weeks while I was on family vacation with my… Read more

Women Warriors 8 Weeks to Healthy Living Pilot – Facilitator Training It was an honor to present our program and research findings from the past two years, including University of Calgary Master’s student, Megan Sampson’s preliminary findings on food security to City of Calgary managers and stakeholders on Friday, March… Read more

By Megan Sampson, Graduate Student – Anthropology, University of Calgary Part 1 of 2 available here. The Canadian government responded to Indigenous peoples’ assertions of sovereignty in the region through the implementation of violent and degrading policies. The Indian Act, which was passed in1876, is widely regarded as racist, sexist, paternernalistic and aimed at… Read more

Insights from Indigenous Mothers Brandy-Lee Maxie is a storyteller, entrepreneur, and mother of three children ages 15, 12, and 9 from the White Bear First Nations in Saskatchewan.  Tonight is a hard night to feel like Reconciliation in Canada is a possibility – that concept just got further away from being achievable. Racism… Read more

My Letter to the Editor of the Lloydminster Booster/Source Last Sunday I had to remove myself from social media because of the explosion of hate-filled racist comments that were circulating online. I felt anger, frustration, but most of all sorrow. Some of these people were my friends on Facebook, and… Read more

My Insights as an Indigenous Adoptee On January 20th, 2018 I attended my first North Slave Métis Alliance (NSMA) annual general assembly. This AGA was important to me because I did not grow up with my Metis culture or with my biological family. I was adopted at birth and I found my… Read more

Insights & Resources for Non-Indigenous Community Members. When I first moved to Lloydminster in 2009, I came from Edmonton where I attended the University of Alberta during the school year and lived in Yellowknife during the summer months. My family is from Yellowknife and I visit them on a regular… Read more

I started my journey with Women Warriors on June 8th, 2015 at the Lloydminster Friendship Centre. I was inspired to start this group after training for a half marathon for Team Diabetes, in honour of my birth father’s type II diabetes diagnosis, and witnessing that there were few Indigenous women… Read more

Last week Megan, our graduate student from the University of Calgary doing her thesis on food security with the Women Warriors in Lloydminster (read her preliminary research findings here) and I attended Tamarack Institute’s “Evaluating Community Impact” workshop in Saskatoon, November 14th to 16th. Thanks to Rhett Sangster, Director, Reconciliation and Community Partnership, Office of… Read more

University of Calgary Graduate Student, Megan Shares Her Preliminary Findings from Lloydminster & Onion Lake Cree Nation As a graduate student from the University of Calgary’s Department of Anthropology, I have been partnering with Women Warriors over the past month and researching the nutritional realities of local Indigenous women (Cree… Read more

Three Female Candidates Share Their Insights From Running In Municipal & First Nations Politics Fostering Indigenous women leaders and building our participation in politics, and policymaking is an important form of reconciliation in Canada. According to the website Equal Voice, “the United Nations says that a critical mass of at… Read more

Three Female Canidates Share Their Insights From Running In Municipal & First Nations Politics The 88th anniversary of Person’s Day took place on October 18th, and celebrates the Famous Five’s victory to include women in the legal definition of “Persons,” thereby marking women’s entry into the public and political spheres… Read more

Letter to the Editor of the Lloydminster Meridian Booster & the Lloydminster Source How Can the Media Do A Better Job of Representing Indigenous Voices In This Community? Reconciliation is about learning the truth of Canada’s history with Indigenous peoples, examining the ongoing legacy of colonialism, and acknowledging that we… Read more

Holding Space for Honesty, Healing & Hope. As a bonus for signing up for the Women Warriors email list, you get the first two podcast episodes one day early! Please do us a favour and rate, review, and subscribe on iTunes! Please listen on our Libsyn account if you don’t… Read more

Our tentative plans to move the Women Warriors Program & Research January 2018 Last Friday myself, Onion Lake band councilor, Dolores Pahtayken, our Master’s student from the University of Calgary, Megan, Women Warrior participant, Ashley, Elder from the Ekweskeet Healing Lodge, Verna Buffalo Calf and gardening expert, Tracey Lepp met… Read more

Navigating Metis Identity as an Indigenous Adoptee *I have made a few addendums to the newsletter due to an email last night from someone respectfully asking that I remove their name. I’m a very accommodating person. Also, after I spoke with my dad last night he had a few excellent… Read more

Social Media Break by Shelley Wiart I took a social media break Because I was tired of being connected. I wish Katy and Nicki would remake Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic” Because they could never write their own intelligent lyrics “They don’t know what is what. They just strut. WTF.” WTF. I’ll rewrite it… Read more

I am a parent that believes in telling my children the truth. I don’t shelter my girls from the evils of the world, and I tell them the truth as much as I deem appropriate for their age and understanding. I do not consider these painting too explicit for them.… Read more

Why I Dedicated the Second Season of the Women Warriors Podcast to Healing. The first time I heard a residential school survivor speak was March of 2009 in my class at the University of Alberta Native Studies 380/Women Studies 494: Challenging Racism and Stereotypes. It is a vivid memory because I was… Read more

 Sharing my insights about the land, healing, Reconciliation & Canada 150.   Family Vacation June 15th-22nd Every year we visit my family for a week in Yellowknife to celebrate National Aboriginal Day AKA NAD2017 (now re-named by Trudeau as National Indigenous Peoples Day), and catch up with my family, the Enge’s.… Read more

 Sharing my insights about the land, healing, Reconciliation & Canada 150. The New Generation of Reconciliation  On the last week of school my seven year old daughter came home & told me what she learned about residential school in class. You can view the video I recored on my twitter feed which she stated, “the… Read more

 Sharing my insights about the land, healing, Reconciliation & Canada 150. Onion Lake Powwow 2017 Last Friday I welcomed two of our researchers from the University of Calgary, master’s student, Megan and summer student, Elsy to Lloydminster to attend their first powwow. Megan’s role in the Women Warriors research is investigating… Read more

Lessons learned from completing season one of the Women Warriors podcast & reflections on the Writing Stick Conference. My Top Seven Takeaways From Season One 1) No one will make your dreams come true, but you. Invest your own money into a project that you feel deeply about. If I had waited to raise all… Read more

Please listen and subscribe to the Women Warriors podcast on iTunes! Please help us reach New & Noteworthy by leaving a review on iTunes. Here’s a quick “how to.” If you have an android device, we highly recommend the Podcast Addict app, or you can listen to the podcast section of this website!… Read more

Please listen and subscribe to the Women Warriors podcast on iTunes! Please help us reach New & Noteworthy by leaving a review on iTunes. Here’s a quick “how to.” If you have an android device, we highly recommend the Podcast Addict app, or you can listen to the podcast section of this website! Helen… Read more

Please listen and subscribe to the Women Warriors podcast on iTunes! Please help us reach New & Noteworthy by leaving a review on iTunes. Here’s a quick “how to.” If you have an android device, we highly recommend the Podcast Addict app, or you can listen to the podcast section of this website! Women… Read more

Please listen and subscribe to the Women Warriors podcast on iTunes! Please help us reach New & Noteworthy by leaving a review on iTunes. Here’s a quick “how to.” If you have an android device, we highly recommend the Podcast Addict app, or you can listen to the podcast section of this website! Women… Read more