Women to be commemorated for good works at Esquao Awards

The list of recipients for this year’s 21st Annual Esquao Awards is out. Notable and noteworthy women from across the province will share the stage on April 15 as they are presented with awards, one-by-one, in areas ranging from community involvement in justice activism to environmental work.

Angeline Gutierrez-Rain, Krista Laboucane, Rhonda Metallic and Joanne Pompana, all of Edmonton, Lisa Ground and Michelle Wilsdon of Enoch, Ona Berteig of Fort McMurray, Eva Cardinal of Saddle Lake, Beatrice Carpentier of Drayton Valley, Holly Fortier of Fort McKay, D. Joyce Hunt of Joussard, Delores Pruden-Barrie of Athabasca, Shirley Reid of Caslan, Priscilla Sharpe of Rocky Mountain House, Mildred Alvina Supernault of High Prairie, and Cheryl Williams of Buffalo Lake will be celebrated in a ceremony in Edmonton.

The Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women—the organization which puts on the ceremony—expects nearly 600 people to be in attendance awards night.

 “I never thought in 21-years it would keep going the way it has,” said Marggo Pariseau, vice-president of the IAAW.

“We’ve had honorary women like Rose Laboucan, Dr. Cora Voyageur, Mayor Melissa Blake, Dr. Marie Small Face Marule… And this year we have Fred Keaton and Michelle Thrush as the emcees.” Comedian Howie Miller will provide the entertainment.

“We also have the Metis Child and Family Jiggers… I don’t know too many people who don’t like jigging,” Pariseau said.

The awards themselves are specifically-designed to allow anyone from any community in Alberta to nominate, or be nominated, and the categories are flexible based on the pursuits the nominees are involved in.

The ultimate goal is to show women they are valued for their hard work, even when they don’t think they deserve it.

“I’m most looking forward to meeting all the women and having the opportunity to have them truly believe we are thankful for the work they do in our community… I want them leaving here feeling appreciated,” Pariseau said.

Pariseau spent many years as a social worker, and first started the awards, along with Muriel Stanley Venne, in 1995.

Pariseau had been working in an office with another woman who, in 12 years of employment, was “never late, and never missed a day,” even while she had children at home.

Pariseau wanted the company to honor the employee for her hard work, but the company declined. Pariseau then got together with Venne, the current president of IAAW and co-founder, and the two held their own awards ceremony.

“The first recipients were five women. We had a big dinner and gave them prizes, a bouquet of roses, and a shawl was made for every one of them. It was done in the mall, with 75 people in the audience… A small but wonderful evening,” she said.

The awards are to combat negative stereotypes of First Nations, Metis and Inuit women, and to celebrate and honour their strength, beauty and accomplishments.

Since then as many as 800 people have been in attendance at Esquao events. And more than 400 women have received awards in total. As in past years, along with the 16 recipients, one woman will be inducted into the Circle of Honor. It’s a special award given to Aboriginal women in leadership positions, who advocate for others, but from a place of knowing, having gone through the issues themselves. This year, Mrs. Universe, Ashley Callingbull-Burnham, is the recipient of this award.

“We bring them into a circle, and Elders wrap blankets around them. It’s done at the end of the night,” said Pariseau. “It’s very humbling… and we have Ashley Callingbull-Burnham because of her accomplishments and advocacy for Aboriginal women and Aboriginal people. She has a strong voice,” she said.

Krista Laboucane from Edmonton will be receiving a Community Involvement award. Laboucane has worked for more than a decade in employment training, and has fostered children in her home for the past 12-years.

“They just called to let me know and congratulate me, and my reaction was I thought it was very cool, and humbling, and I was honored to hear that I had been selected,” said Laboucane.

“It’s really just great to be acknowledged for work you put into making the community stronger. A lot of awards are like you achieved something on an academic scale or monetary, and this is like you’ve done good work as a human being,” she said.