Young girls honored by women's organization

"Little Angels Among Us" was the theme of the 11th annual Esquao Awards held in Edmonton on May 12. The night honored girls ages six to 12 who were picked from Aboriginal communities across the province to represent the bright hope of the women of tomorrow.
It was a variation on the theme of the past awards ceremonies held by the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW).

"Angels Among Us," said IAAW president Muriel Stanley Venne, is a reminder of "why we honor our women, and that's because they are the strength of our communities."

Dressed in white gowns, dance regalia or their best party dresses, the 16 "Little Angels" walked onto the stage to await the opening ceremonies, which were initiated by Thundering Spirit Drum Group's commanding and uplifting singing.

Aboriginal women police officers representing the Edmonton Police Service, the RCMP, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Blood Tribe Police and the Calgary Police Service led grand entry.
This group was followed by Elders, this year's Esquao award recipients, the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women board members, chiefs, Mayor Stephen Mandel, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein and his wife Dr. Colleen Klein.

Sharing emcee duties were Pearl Calahasen, Alberta's minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, and Dave Tuccaro, CEO of Tuccaro Inc. They welcomed Akina Shirt to sing O Canada in Cree. Shirt is a 12-year-old student that attends the Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts.

Stanley Venne was the first of many to welcome the audience to the celebration that honors the success of Aboriginal women in Alberta.

As everyone was finishing up the dinner portion of the evening, the "Little Angels" stood to receive gifts from Colleen Klein. Before presenting the gifts, she offered a few special words of encouragement to the young girls.

"It's my pleasure to present a very special gift," said Klein. "These gifts are something that I hope will always remind these young women about just how very special they are. There's a tremendous amount of strength that comes from being confident, where you come from and what you can offer to the world. It's a confidence that the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women works to promote and it's a confidence that all Aboriginal girls and women deserve to have."

Inside each of the gift boxes was a crystal angel and attached to it was a message that read: This angel will brighten your life, just as you brighten the lives of people around you. Never forget that you will always be one of the angels amongst us.

As Klein looked to the crowd and then to the "Little Angels" she said, "I'm extremely proud to call myself a Metis, and I'm just as proud to share that heritage with my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren."

"I hope they always remember to walk tall and carry their Aboriginal heritage with great dignity and pride," Klein said. "I also hope that these girls leave this event with knowledge that they can achieve anything that they set their hearts and minds to."

Of course, the main event of the evening was the presentation of the Esquao awards. Esquao is a stylized re-invention of the word squaw, which the IAAW hopes to re-engender with a more positive connotation.

Over the last 11 years, Stanley Venne said the Esquao awards have honored more than 250 women from Alberta. This year 21 women of achievement in a variety of categories received Esquao awards. Over the course of the year, the IAAW receives nominations from communities across Alberta of women who make a difference in those communities.

This year's honors went to Marlene Arcand of Morinville, Evelyn Brertton of Lamont, Claudine Cardinal of St. Paul, Sophie Cardinal of Slave Lake, Marcella Cunningham of Driftpile, Roxanne Davis of Lethbridge, Marion Dick of Ponoka, Rose Findlay of Grande Cache, Sandra Flamond of Cold Lake, Audrey Franklin of Ardmore, Florence Gaucher of St. Albert, Linda Manuel of Edmonton, Margaret MacDonald of Fort McKay, Rachelle McDonald of Grande Cache, Taz Johnson-McGillis of Edmonton, Eve MacMillan of Calgary, Peggy McGillis of Fishing Lake, Vie Hunter of Fort McMurray, Lillian Shirt of High Prairie, Yvonne Sound of Kinuso and Flora Willier of Enilda.

Stanley Venne said that all the women nominated from the communities will be honored. If there are too many nominations one year, they are carried over to the next year.

"We have no jury," she said. "We do reserve the right to place the women in the categories that we find them most suitable for."

Over the years, there have been new awards created. One of the most recent is the Dorothy MacDonald Leadership Award, sponsored by Syncrude Canada. The award is named in tribute to one of Canada's first female elected chiefs. Treaty 8 Grand Chief Rose Laboucan received the Dorothy MacDonald award this year. The evening concluded with a special presentation that honored Laboucan, who was wrapped in a blanket by Portia Clark, the host of CBC News, and welcomed into the Circle of Honor, joining Colleen Klein, Pearl Calahasen, Senator Thelma Chalifoux and Muriel Stanley Venne as members.

The Esquao awards is the premier event of the IAAW's calendar year. The group is involved in human rights and social justice issues in communities in Canada. The IAAW uses the Esquao awards to help the organization continue with its advocacy work on behalf of women.

During the evening, IAAW was selling travel mugs at $20 each with $10 from every sale initially intended to go to support on-reserve women's shelters. However, during a brief phone interview with Marggo Pariseau, vice-president at IAAW, two weeks after the awards ceremonies, she said IAAW was considering giving all of the proceeds to the shelters.

"We sold $245 worth. It's not a lot, but it's a start and we will continue with this," said Pariseau.
Stanley Venne said that Aboriginal women shelters on reserve receive far less money than the ones in Edmonton.

"We want to help provide for the needs of women who are in trouble. What we want to do specifically is raise money to help with the women's personal needs," Stanley Venne said.