As many know I have been on a twenty seven year journey trying to gain Indian status registration. The short story is that I continue to be denied due to an unknown grandfather in my father’s lineage. While my Masters work was on identity where I developed a theory and a model of the spiritual implications of having one’s identity denied, at the Doctoral level I placed the issue of the sex discrimination in the Indian Act registration requirements to the side, and looked more deeply at the Algonquin land claims and self-government process. Although I placed it to the side, a large part of my being always remained with this issue through my section 15 Charter challenge.
Through her research, Mallory Richard of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights (CMHR) discovered an undergraduate article I wrote titled “The Queen and I”, and from this she was able to find me through my personal website. Mallory contacted me, asking if I was interested in a collaboration project in terms of having my oral history as a human rights advocate recorded for the museum archives. Of course I joyfully said “yes”.
While many know and love Jeannette Corbiere-Lavell, less is known about Yvonne Bedard. Most know it was in 1973 when Jeannette’s and Yvonne’s cases were heard together in the Supreme Court of Canada. While I have had the pleasure of both meeting Jeannette and the pleasure of her company, I have always wondered where Yvonne was and what she has been up to all these years. Through social media I was able to connect with Linda Ense − the Executive Director of the Native Women’s Centre Hamilton, a local of the Ontario Native Women’s Association − who is Yvonne’s niece. Through this process I was able to facilitate a relationship between Yvonne and Mallory. It was simple, I implored, “You must interview Yvonne, as we all want to know about her journey as an advocate for Indigenous women’s human rights as well”. Needless to say, it worked out and Mallory was able to record both mine and Yvonne’s struggle to gain Indigenous women’s human rights. Jeannette’s as well.
While many know and love Jeannette Corbiere-Lavell, less is known about Yvonne Bedard. Most know it was in 1973 when Jeannette’s and Yvonne’s cases were heard together in the Supreme Court of Canada. While I have had the pleasure of both meeting Jeannette and the pleasure of her company, I have always wondered where Yvonne was and what she has been up to all these years. Through social media I was able to connect with Linda Ense − the Executive Director of the Native Women’s Centre Hamilton, a local of the Ontario Native Women’s Association − who is Yvonne’s niece. Through this process I was able to facilitate a relationship between Yvonne and Mallory. It was simple, I implored, “You must interview Yvonne, as we all want to know about her journey as an advocate for Indigenous women’s human rights as well”. Needless to say, it worked out and Mallory was able to record both mine and Yvonne’s struggle to gain Indigenous women’s human rights. Jeannette’s as well.
Copyright Nik Gehl
Eventually I was able to meet Yvonne and she was such a delight. While normally I do not allow photographs to be taken of me, on this occasion I did. I just love this photograph of the two of us. The way Yvonne is looking at me is humourous. During my oral history interview, Mallory asked me some very interesting questions about my hopes and dreams. Certainly meeting Yvonne was something I hoped for. “Chi-miigwetch” Mallory for locating me and “chi-miigwetch” to Linda for helping me locate your auntie Yvonne. The CMHR opens in 2014.
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