Rooted In Tradition - Red Deer

October is Womens History Month!

Women's History Month.

Métis Matriarchs.

Through winters harsh and prairie wide,

They kept the sacred fire inside.
With beaded threads of rose and vine,
They stitched the nations’ intertwine.

The healers, keepers of the tongue,
By whom the oldest songs were sung.
They bound the Michif lore with pride,
And stood as wisdom’s steady guide.

From Red River to Saskatchewan's sweep,
A timeless promise they would keep.
The Métis Matriarchs of old,
In every crimson sash enrolled.

No longer hidden from the page,
Their legacy commands the stage.
The steady hands, the iron will,
Their vibrant spirit guides us still.

c. S.A.

Proud to have Emelie Paul, daughter of my gg grandfather Pierre Paul in my line.

What Métis Woman in your family inspires you?

🧡❤️🙏🧡❤️

Tomorrow, October 4 is the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG2S+), also known as Sisters in Spirit Day.

I myself am a Domestic Violence Survivor with now lifelong Physical and Emotional Injuries.

I barely survived being a MMIW. Here is something I wrote.

The Ribbon That Didn't Break.

I am the daughter of the Red River,
carrying the currents of those who came before,
shaped by the prairie winds,
and the fierce, quiet strength of the Métis.

There were nights when the shadows grew too
heavy, nights where the edge was entirely too close,
and the statistics whispered my name,
threatening to pull me into the quiet dark,
to make me a memory hung on a red dress.

But my spirit refused to be standard or silenced.
I broke the cycle, I fought through the storm,
and today, I do not just remember—
I stand as living proof.

On this October fourth, I wear red,
not only to mourn the sisters we lost to the shadows,
but to hold up the light for those who made it through.

I am here.
I am loud.
And my story is still being written.

c. S. A.

Download, colour & share 🧡🧡🧡🧡

Feel free to download and print this image to colour and share. This art was a gift and it's being paid forward.

Where did the phrase "Every child matters", come from?

• The Orange Shirt: In 1973, six-year-old Phyllis went to the St. Joseph Mission residential school near Williams Lake, BC. Her grandmother had bought her a bright, shiny orange shirt for her first day, which made her feel excited and important.

• Confiscation: When she arrived at the school, school authorities stripped her, took away her clothes—including the orange shirt—and never gave it back.

• The Feeling That She Didn't Matter: Phyllis later shared that the color orange came to symbolize how her feelings and worth did not matter to the people running the institution.

• Orange Shirt Day: In 2013, a reunion was held to commemorate the residential school's impact, where Phyllis shared her story. This led to the creation of Orange Shirt Day, established on September 30th to honor survivors and remember the children who never returned home.

• A National Rallying Cry: The phrase "Every Child Matters" was adopted as the core slogan for Orange Shirt Day and the broader movement for truth, reconciliation, and awareness surrounding the Canadian Indian residential school system.

Orange Shirt Day is sneaking up fast!
New orange shirts have arrived. Charm Logan from Thunderbird Clothing has created these beauties. I have youth and adult. Come on in and pick one up!