Description
Janice Cindy Gaudet is an associate professor at Campus Saint-Jean, University of Alberta, and Canada Research Chair in Métis Kinship and Land-Based Wellness. She is among generations of Métis women who have built and nurtured family and community along the South Saskatchewan River. She is a member of the River Women Collective, which hosted the final Walking with Our Sisters ceremony in Batoche and co-produced a film on their experience.
The stories told by Métis and Cree Aunties are as complex, engaging, and powerful as the women themselves, imbued with generations of wisdom. Visiting with Aunties uses storytelling by and about Aunties to deepen our understanding of Indigenous women’s kinship systems, and the important cultural role Aunties play in families and communities.
Ranging from personal reminiscences to historical surveys, this collection is grounded in a uniquely Prairie Métis and Cree perspective. Contributors recount experiences of their own Aunties and as Aunties themselves. Through visiting – working, talking, and sharing knowledge together – they reveal the influence of women-centred governance on such areas as cultural teachings, health and well-being, education, and the arts, in the process shedding light on this vital cultural role.
The women whose voices emerge in this collection challenge colonial representations of Indigenous women. Collectively, they create a living expression and rich tapestry of kinship relationships. This book contains 9 b&w photos.