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Verna was born and raised in a traditional Metis Community known as Fouillard’s Corner, also known in Michif as Li Kwayn (The Corner) near Binscarth, Manitoba. Verna is the daughter of Jean Louis Fleury and Marie Josephine Ledoux. Her parents relocated to Li Kwaen from the community of Ste Madeleine, a Metis community that was situated near the Saskatchewan and Manitoba border. The Fleury and Ledoux families were among the Metis families who lost their homes and lands at Ste. Madeleine, Manitoba during the government evictions inthe 1930s. Verna now reside in Brandon, Manitoba. Verna has one daughter, four sons and 10 grandchildren. Verna is a fluent Michif speaker and knowledge keeper of her ancestral language Michif and culture. She works diligently to teach, promote and preserve. Her goal is to preserve Michif for future generations. At present Verna is employed teaching Michif in the Brandon School Division, in the community and works with different linguists. She is also a visiting Elder with Assiniboine Community College. Verna likes to share her knowledge of her culture and language with anyone who is willing to listen and learn.
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June Bruce was born in St. Laurent, Manitoba on June 14, 1947 to parents Roland Bruce and Annette Boudreau Bruce. She has two brothers and three sisters, and attended school in St. Laurent from Grade 1 to Grade 10, when she quit school to get married. In the course of her marriage, I had three children, Les, James and Shelley. Because of work shortage in Manitoba, the family moved to Alberta and stayed there for 30 years, from 1969 to 1999, but returned to St. Laurent in 1999. In late 1999 we moved back to Winnipeg. Because of her dreams to graduate from Grade 12, she went back to school in St. Laurent in 2010 and graduated with her diploma. That was about the time that she along, with other local Michif women, started working on a Michif French dictionary. It took them five years to do this, as their Michif French was spoken but never written. The book was published in. Juen Bruce continues to be quite busy with teaching Michif French in her community, in Winnipeg and also in Selkirk, Manitoba. She along with The ladies also meet every week when possible to do some Michif crafts, ie: 100% wool moccasins, mitts, purses with embroidery and or beading. In 2020, in recognition of their efforts to keep the culture and language alive, each of the Dictionary Ladies received their Honorary Doctorate for Doctors of Letters from University of Winnipeg in a special graduation ceremony.
As of 2020, June Bruce has 4 grand children, and 4 great grand-children. She says that her reasons for continuing to work with the Michif French is to keep our language and culture alive for her children, grand-children and great-grand children within the Metis community.
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Lorraine Coutu-Lavallee is a Michif French elder who was born and raised in St Laurent, MB. She went to school in St Laurent, then had her family of 4 girls before going back to school at Red River College to take a business course. She graduated with honors, then was called to work at Revenue Canada until retirement in 2012.
In 2011, Lorraine and four other ladies from St Laurent got together to write the Michif French language Dictionary which had never been written before, in order to preserve their language and culture. They met every Tuesday to work on their book. Five years later, in July of 2016 they self-published their ‘Michif- French Dictionary” at McNally Robinson on Grant in Winnipeg. They did it all on their own with no funding. Nobody believed in them, but they never gave up. Now, two of the ladies, Patricia Miller-Chartrand and Doris Michelayenko-Leclerc, have passed away.
The group taught one language session in St Laurent School before Covid-19, with plans to return in the fall. They also work with the local Headstart program to teach Michif French to pre-schoolers through games and activities.
They are currently working with Michif poet Suzanne Steele-Gaudry and composer Neil Weisensel to translate the musical Li Keur, Riel’s Heart of the North into Michif-French.
They are now working on a second book on the history of their community. They also do crafts, beading, embroidery,slippers, mitts and small purses in 100% wool.
In 2020, in recognition of their efforts to keep the culture and language alive, each of them received their Honorary Doctorate for Doctors of Letters from University of Winnipeg in a special graduation ceremony.
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Agathe Chartrand is a Michif Elder born and raised in St Laurent, Manitoba. She was born in 1940 and went to school at St Laurent School, but had to quit at a young age to work in Winnipeg for many years, before moving back home to take care of her mother.
At a later stage in her life, in 2011, she joined the Michif French Ladies to write the first Michif French Dictionary. The book includes Michif French words, prayers and traditional recipes. Five years later, they self-published the first ever “Michif French Dictionary” at McNally Robinson on Grant in Winnipeg. They did it all with no funding. Now, two ladies in the group have passed away: Patricia Millar-Chartrand and Doris Michalyenko-Leclerc.
The group of ladies taught one class at St Laurent School from grades K-12 with plans on going back in the fall and work with the local Headstart. They also teach crafts, making slippers and mitts and little purses with 100% wool material, as well as beading and embroidery.
They are excited to now be working on translating a musical Riel: Kewr of the North” into Michif French for Michif poet Suzanne Steele-Gaudry and composer Neil Weisensel.
In 2020, they were given recognition for their effort to keep their culture and language alive, and each received their Honorary Doctorate for Doctors of Letters from the University of Winnipeg.
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Jules Chartrand is a retired Métis born and raised in the Michif Community of Saint Laurent on Lake Manitoba. Besides French Canadian ancestry, he has ancestry among several western First Nation groups, i.e., the Cree, the Odjibway, Blackfeet, and Chipeweyan. He grew up speaking the Michif Language, which is a dialect of French, as spoken in St Laurent and all over the North West in Canada. In his youth, he worked with his father in commercial fishing and carpentry and haying for farmers. After high school, he worked for CN Rail as a telegapher, station agent, and in train traffic control.
Retiring early, he worked as a court clerk in Winnipeg and St Boniface. After taking a course in driving with the Reimer Driving School, he drove trucks long haul for several years. Jules always took an interest in the history of St Laurent, in the Métis and their language. At festivals in St Laurent he gave historical tours of the community and did the same for groups of tourists, teachers, and others coming to St Laurent. He also spoke in the schools at St Laurent to help preserve the history and language of the people. He was a member of the local St Laurent Theatre Group for over ten years. Jules has appeared in several documentaries, including A Diary of the Crow Wing Trail, by Lorne Chartrand and Nos Cousins Canadiens, by Berengere Casanova of Paris France, which was aired in France.
He continues to get involved in various works of art in the Francophone, Métis and elder communities, and competed this year in the Francophone seniors programs: “Coeur d’Artistes” where he did very well, telling tales of St Laurent!
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Debra Beach Ducharme received a Bachelor of Education in 1985, a Post Baccalaureate in 1996, and Masters degree in 2009, all from the University of Manitoba. Her work experience includes classroom teacher, counsellor, consultant, director and administrator at various schools in the city of Winnipeg.
Her passion is supporting her community through advocacy for revitalizing Indigenous world-views, languages and culture. This experience has enabled her to develop a solid background in human resource management, curriculum and policy development, accompanied by in-house training programs in restorative practices and reconciliation, conflict resolution and team building.
As board member with the Manitoba First Nations Resource Center (MFNERC), Debra Beach Ducharme was provided an opportunity to advocate for First Nation communities in forming a First Nation School Division. Presently, she is the Director of Indigenous Health Integration at the Ongomiiziwin Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. I work with the deans in five health colleges, implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action and the University of Manitoba’s 5 year strategic plan.
She is Anishinabe and a registered member of the Lake Manitoba First Nation.
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Donna Beach is an Aboriginal Languages Consultant Contractor for Manitoba Aboriginal Languages Strategy. (MALS) She has been working with this organization since 2016. Her duties have required her assist MALS in revitalizing, retaining and promoting Aboriginal Languages for Manitoba. Her duties have included, working in collaboration with MALS Elders, professional development for Aboriginal teachers, conducting research and developing MALS Annotated Bibliography.
Donna has a Masters of Education and has worked as a classroom and Ojibwe language teacher as well as a School Principal and Vice- Principal. Donna has also worked as an Aboriginal coordinator for the four Ojibwe Bilingual classrooms at Riverbend school.
