Join us on Friday November 25th to learn more about Métis Memories of Residential Schools, A Testament to the Strength of the Métis.
This event will feature a panel talk and Q and A, followed by light refreshments and the chance to engage directly with the creators of the project.
During the panel talk, the creative team behind this inspiring project, Elder Angie Crerar, Billie‐Jo Grant, Jude Daniels and Yvonne Poitras Pratt, will share some of the lived experiences behind the piece and explore its meaning.
This is the first installation displayed in the Museum’s new Community Corridor. The event is free to attend. Space is limited so preregistration is encouraged.
About the panelists
Elder Angie Crerar
Métis Elder Angie Crerar has lived in Grande Prairie since 1966, after moving from the Northwest Territories where she attended the Fort Resolution Indian Residential School. Through the years, she has been a part of various coalitions, councils and efforts, strongly supporting and advocating for Indigenous peoples, including by encouraging truth and reconciliation across the country. In 2022, Elder Angie was part of the delegation to travel to Rome to meet with the pope. Elder Angie has 10 children, 24 grandchildren and 15 great‐grandchildren.
Billie‐Jo Grant
Billie‐Jo Grant is a proud citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta and an award‐winning educator with over 20 years of classroom experience teaching K‑9 students in both public and Catholic school classrooms. Formerly the Associate Director of Métis education with the Rupertsland Institute, Billie‐Jo is currently the Indigenous consultant with Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools. She encourages educators to be curious, hold deep and reflective conversations, and learn more in order to do better for all students. Billie‐Jo aspires to have Indigenous education omnipresent in our education system where everyone is celebrated.
Jude Daniels
Jude Daniels is a semi‐retired oil and gas lawyer, mediator and yoga instructor. Jude co‐authored Métis Memories of Residential School as well as Métis History and Experience and Residential Schools in Canada. She is a proud citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta and a member of the Indigenous Bar Association and the Law Society of Alberta. She lives in Canmore, Alberta with her family and is an active community volunteer. She is currently a board member of the Alberta Energy Regulator.
Yvonne Poitras Pratt
Yvonne Poitras Pratt is an Associate Professor at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. As a Métis Nation of Alberta citizen, her family roots trace back to Red River and more recently to Fishing Lake Métis Settlement. Her 2020 book, Digital Storytelling in Indigenous Education: A Decolonizing Journey for a Metis Community, ethnographically explores the process of creating 19 digital stories with Fishing Lake community members. She has published on Métis education, reconciliatory and decolonizing pedagogy, service‐learning, and the integration of arts in education. Yvonne has earned three teaching awards, as well as the CAFA Distinguished Academic Early Career Award (2018) and the Alan Blizzard Award for Collaborative Teaching (2021).
