Culture Days St. Albert 2023
Literary
Jeanien Bell
Inuit Oral Tradition
Friday, Sept 22nd, 4 PM
St Albert Library - Forsyth Hall
Come to know more about Inuit community, culture and identity through the sharing of Inuit stories legends and the exploration of diverse Inuit cultural artifacts and tools.
Jeanien Bell (she/her] is an Inuk kablunangujuq educator, artist, and angajukKâk of mixed Inuit and Qallunat ancestry. Raised in a semi remote sub-arctic village of 450 on the land, water, and ice on Nitassinan - the traditional territories of the Innu First Nation and her Nunatsiavumiut Inuit Ancestors. Guided by Inuit Maligait & Qaujimajatuqangit principles, Jeanien is fortunate to have lived her life immersed in the traditional land-based community centered ways of her Inuit Ancestors. Relationships formed on and with the land, the experience, knowledge, and skills acquired through traditional teachings motivates and inspires her life's work. For the past 16 years, Jeanien has been an honored and humbled guest in the Treaty 6 & Treaty 7 Territories - the traditional homelands of her Southern relatives, the diverse First Nations and Métis peoples. She considers it a great privilege to live among her human and more than human relatives and she is thereby committed to fulfilling her relational obligations to respect and care for the peoples, skies, lands, and waters that sustain and support all life
Jeanien humbly serves her community as Angajukkäk of the Inuit Edmontonmiut Community, co-director / co-Founder of the Inuit Community Development and Education Foundation, Chair of Indigenous Studies at NorQuest College and a member of the Metis Women's Council on Economic Security advising the Minister of Indigenous Relations on policies, programs, and services to improve the lives of Indigenous women, their families, and communities. Jeanien uses her gift of two eyed seeing and her experience of walking in two worlds to serve indigenous and Non-indigenous communities alike providing support, guidance, and direction to others so they may identify their unique gifts to uplift their families and communities: ensuring an increasingly just and equitable future for all.
Marilyn McGreer
Cultural History of the Foods I Was Raised With
Sat, Sept 23nd, 3 PM
Musee Heritage Museum
Come hear author Marilyn McGreer tell stories about the foods she was raised with and the family cookbook they inspired
Marilyn McGreer is a member of the Afro Jamaican Caribbean Community. She along with her siblings have lived in the province of Alberta, since March 4, 1969, when her parents made the decision to emigrate to Canada, after living in the UK for several years. For the past 30 years Marilyn and her husband Ted, along with their 3 now grown adult children, have been residents of the St. Albert community.
She has earned the respect of her community as an active volunteer leader, as a Professional Home Economist, and a retired health care educator. Marilyn graduated from the University of Alberta, with a BSc in Home Economics in 1990, specialization Family Studies, and continued her studies, earning nursing certification as a Licensed Practical Nurse from NorQuest College in Edmonton, in 2003. She served on the Alberta Home Economics Association (AHEA) Executive Board for 2 years, (2010 – 2012) as the Professional Development Director. Also served as the Education Chair for 5 years (2011 – 2016) on the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta (CLPNA) Fredrickson McGregor Education Foundation for LPNs. In both roles, her responsibilities were to approve and assign professional continuing education credits to members for workshops and courses attended, encouraging members to strive for excellence in their careers, and to take pride in their professional and personal development in their profession.
Marilyn is a published author, and storyteller artist. She has worked locally with Edmonton publisher Page Master Inc., and her books are sold on Amazon. CTV News featured her story, “The Caribbeans Go North” the account of her family’s experience as immigrants living in Alberta in the early 1970’s. Now that her children have left the family home, she has time to reflect on her own childhood memories and share some her family food favorites from her book called “The Essence of Caribbean Cooking.”