Building bridges between two worlds

Page 17

As a white woman with treaty rights, Sharon Steinhauer says she's been able to build bridges between Natives and non-Natives.

"I believe in the universality of mankind. The differences between us are minimal and the commonalties between us are great and I wonder on the folly of man to concentrate on the differences,"

says the 42 year old woman.

"We all want the same kinds of successes in life," she notes.

By having links to both communities, she believes she's able to shape attitudes in the Native and non-Native world.

Life as a white woman married to a Native was difficult at first, she says, remembering she'd get nuisance calls at home at night when she married Mike Steinhauer, who is the brother of former

Saddle Lake Chief Eugene Steinhauer.

"I felt left out of a lot of things. Part of it was the language barrier," she recalls.

"I really understood for the first time how prejudice works both ways when you're a minority in a dominant population.

"Maybe I can understand better how alienated Natives feel, because I've been on the other side," she says.

But going to work from the start at Blue Quills' First Nations College gave her a connection to the community.

"Now I'm accepted by the community and it's a good feeling."

Steinhauer is also active in traditional Indian worship, participating in sweats.

"I'm very universal in my spiritual beliefs and worshipping in the Indian way fits for me," she says.

"I feel like a bridge sometimes between Natives and non-Natives and I see that as an opportunity I can take advantage of," she says.

Workers and volunteers with the Mannawanis Native Friendship Centre in St. Paul, where she is president, speak highly of her.

"She's got a lot of heart and determination," says board member Stacey Harrison, 20.

"She's the backbone (of the friendship)."

Bookkeeper Juliet Navrot says she's impressed by Steinhauer's determination and the will to keep going.

"She's a go-getter and she believes in high quality performance.

"To keep these buildings going, if she could, she'd work 24 hours a day," says Navrot.

Steinhauer, who has been a friendship centre board member since 1983, had a tiring day on this visit and was visibly pleased by the praise.

She's AADAC administrator for St. Paul and area. And she agrees she'd work 24 hours a day if she could.

"I really believe in the mandate of a friendship centre to provide opportunities to improve relations between Natives and non-Natives and to provide opportunities for Natives to become more

competitive in mainstream society," she says.

"I deal with a lot of people in pain in my work at AADAC and here and I want to help make a difference so there's less pain."

As president the two last years, she's held every position on the board except vice-president.

Having overseen relocation of the centre from main street to its own building on 49th Avenue, she now dreams of expansion of Camp Mannawanis at Lower Therien Lake south of St. Paul, a

summer camp for young people.

"The camp is a success story. It allows us to program with kids and further our cross-cultural objective of developing relations between Natives and non-Natives," she said.

She'd like to see a traditional tipi village built at the camp.

"There's always something to do but not enough time or resources," laments Steinhauer.

As well as being involved with the friendship centre, Steinhauer is a board member of the Saddle Lake Boys and Girls Club and a board member of the Life Values School at Lake Therien.