Metis leader, teacher killed in car crash near Calling Lake

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A small group of Native students gathered at a University of Alberta meeting room April 1 to pay tribute to close companion and mentor Lorraine Courtrille, a young Metis leader who died in a car accident while on a student goodwill mission to Native communities in northern Alberta.

But for those who attended the traditional talking circle that marked her passing, the occasion was more to celebrate her life than mourn her death.

"She was an inspiration to practically everyone who knew her," said U of A fine arts student Rachel Starr. "This isn't to dwell on her death."

Courtrille, 35, was killed March 27 when the car she was travelling in skidded off a gravel road and crashed near Calling Lake, 200 km north of Edmonton. The driver of the car was not injured.

Courtrille, a former vice-president of the Women of the Metis Nation, graduated last April with a bachelor's degree in anthropology and had started working for the university's Native Student Services two months ago.

She helped spearhead the student ambassador and school visitation programs for Native schools in the remote northern region. Courtrille was returning from a visit to the Bigstone reserve at Wabasca-Desmarais, Alberta when the crash occurred.

"She was really a hard worker," Starr said. "She pushed other people to work hard, and she pushed herself. She will be missed."

Starr said she knew Courtrille for nearly two years while at the U of A. They

both helped organize the University's Native Awareness Days and other projects aimed

at promoting Native culture.

"Lorraine was the motivator behind these things. She was dedicated to helping her people," Starr said.

Courtrille was a single mother of two young boys, aged two and eleven. She helped set up Edmonton's first Native day care called N'GaWee, Cree for guardian or parent.

Courtrille was also organizing a shelter for battered women in the city and had recently completed a research paper on the same subject, Starr said.

Courtrille was buried next to her father at the Lac Ste. Anne cemetery while more than 200 friends and family members paid their last respects to the woman that they revered as a leader.

Shawna Cunningham, president of the U of A's Aboriginal Student Council, said two ceremonies had been held at the university to remember Courtrille and the contributions she had made.

"Everybody knew her, and nobody is going to forget her," she said. "She provided a lot of guidance."

The director of the Native Student Services said Courtrille's contributions were invaluable to promoting Native education.

"Lorraine was totally committed to her work," said Reinhilb Boehm, director of Native Student Services. "It seemed that the more trouble somebody appeared to be in, the more she wanted to help."