Extraordinary persistance

Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert have grown tremendously with huge numbers of First Nations People coming from all over Saskatchewan as well as other provinces and countries. This diversity continues to grow as people migrate to better futures, better housing and better access to education and work, as this may be a positive change for many, there are certainly negative changes and attitudes that come with it.

Let me tell you a story of this one lady from a Northern Reserve , farther north from Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, from a reserve called the Waterhen Lake Reserve, it is a Cree Community with little contact with the outside world, a place where much of the children learn Cree as their first language. Life is a difficult challenge for the residents on the Waterhen Lake reserve, much like all First Nations Reserves in Saskatchewan, poverty is abundant and jobs are scarce.

I could possibly use the real name of this determined lady, but I will call her Mary, Mary was born and raised on the Waterhen Lake reserve, speaking Cree and learning the traditional ways of her culture through her Kohkum and Moshum. Mary became a hard working young woman who met and married a nice man from the community. The young couple started a family but soon found out that on a reserve the waiting list for a new house could be many, many years, and with no place to live they both decided to move to Saskatoon where a cousin had moved to the year before. Mary's husband soon found a job in the Industrial area of the city with minimum wages and to make a living with this meagre paycheck, essential items had to be cut from the grocery list. As their son was growing up and was starting school, Mary and her husband could not afford the school costs and the extra activities, this was very discouraging.

Mary spoke Cree fluently, as a result she never completed school and quit altogether in Grade Six on the Dayschool in Waterhen Lake First Nation, she never drove a vehicle so she never got her license.

As there son grew up and started school, Mary decided to go back to school, she began with an Adult Upgrading Course starting with Grade 4 - 6 , than she completed grade 7 - 9 , than finally she completed her 10 - 12 , Mary Graduated in June 2003 with her grade 12 diploma.

With her diploma in hand, Mary entered the First Nations University of Canada in the Social Work Program, and in October 2007, Mary recieved her Social Work degree and now works in a Tribal office in Saskatchewan as one of the directors. Mary also learned how to drive and she got her own drivers license.

Mary has had difficult obstacles to overcome and she has had the determination to fight her own poverty, addictions and racism, but she is an example of how a person can achieve goals and dreams despite negative stereotypes.

Update: Mary continues to work in a director's postition, her husband continues to work in the labour force, and their son is now in junior high school. Mary still speaks Cree fluently, at her meetings she will speak in Cree and will translate for those that no longer want to speak Cree and to those that can't understand.