Six Nations woman dons ceremonial dress for Mac convocation – Hamilton Spectator

June 8, 2015

Jules Koostachin raises Indiegogo funds to commemorate Cree student who fought for better schools

For Jules Koostachin, attending school in inner-city Ottawa was a bit of nightmare.

Too often, she was regarded as just the ‘native kid’ and even once called the ‘savages’ daughter.’ Not being able to hear properly didn’t help.

Koostachin remembers being unable to speak up in class and just shutting down.

“I remember wanting to do well in school, but I didn’t know how.”

It’s that experience that inspired Jules to push for a national monument to Shannen Koostachin, the young Cree activist who fought for better schools for First Nations children. (Shannen’s dad and Jules’ mom are cousins, but Shannen and Jules never met.)

Read More: http://www.cbc.ca/news/aboriginal/shannen-s-dream-monument-campaign-launched-by-family-member-1.3105031