We Are All Treaty People
We Are All Treaty People
Saskatchewan’s first woman Treaty Commissioner is Nahkawe and Irish/Scottish English descent. A member of the Keeseekoose First Nation, she was the first member to earn a Juris Doctor from U of S Law and practice law in Saskatchewan. In January 2018, Mary Culbertson became the Treaty Commissioner for Saskatchewan.
Her professional experience spans federal government departments, provincial government ministries, National and territorial Indigenous organizations, Tribal Councils, provincial and community-based organizations as well as volunteerism and advocacy. She is the daughter of a residential school survivor whose family has persevered through intergenerational legacies and trauma. She is the mother of four grown children who have made her a proud Kokum.
She grew up seeing both worlds on the family farm north of Pelly, SK in Treaty 4 territory across the river from Fort Livingston site and her Nation of Keeseekoose across from Fort Pelly. She is the granddaughter of late FSIN Senator Roy Musqua and Nellie Brass who instilled the torch of self-determination in their children and grandchildren.
She firmly believes the personal and professional experiences she has lived have shaped her journey, knowledge and determination. It is her hope that other children and grandchildren of the residential school legacy can say if she did so can I. Whether it was serving soup at the Friendship Centre in Yorkton, being a single parent with support of family trying to get finished a Grade 12 with toddlers in tow, to working in organizations First Nations governments, federal governments, provincial governments, in communities and tribal councils in addictions, education, research to having the honour of being legal counsel for Indian residential school survivors to being the first woman Treaty Commissioner. She firmly believes that everything we have experienced in this lifetime, our families' experiences to our collective experiences shape who we are.
Angie is a Cree from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. After working with the Office of the Treaty Commissioner as the Project Coordinator – Youth in Service since July 2019, Angie became the Director of Operations.
The Youth in Service project, which ended in May 2020, involved the coordination of promoting the civic engagement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth, to enhance and build upon the efforts of OTC, particularly related to reconciliation.
Angie was born and raised in Pelican Narrows, currently lives in Saskatoon, SK and she is fluent in the Cree language.
Angie brings a wide variety of experience having worked as a Ministerial Assistant to several Cabinet Ministers and Special Advisor to the Premier of Saskatchewan with the Government of Saskatchewan; a Workforce Planning Specialist, Human Resources for Cameco Corporation; Band Councillor for the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation where she held the portfolio for youth and justice; Victim Services Coordinator within the Pelican Narrows RCMP Detachment for the NorthSask Victim Services; Project Manager for the Northeast Youth Violence Reduction Partnership; and most recently she worked as a Jordan’s Principle Coordinator for PBCN Health Services.
Rhett Sangster works with the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, coordinating efforts to engage both the public and community leaders on the nature of reconciliation in Saskatchewan. This process aims to work with as many partners as possible to identify shared priorities and a broadly-owned vision for the future.
Rhett grew up in Treaty 6 territory (Tisdale, Saskatchewan) and is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan (B.A. Political Studies). He moved to Ottawa in 2000 to become a Foreign Service Officer and has spent the majority of his career working on issues of international conflict and peacebuilding. He spent three years posted as a diplomat in Turkey, led a successful effort to improve dialogue and cooperation between Afghan and Pakistani border officials, and coordinated Canadian international policy on mediation, peace processes and the effects of war on women and girls. Rhett accepted a Rotary Peace Fellowship in 2012 and graduated in 2014 with a Masters in International Development Policy from Duke University. His thesis focused on conflict prevention and reconciliation in Saskatchewan.
Rhett is married and has three young children.
Sheldon Krasowski was born in Treaty Six territory in Saskatoon and attended the University of Saskatchewan and received a BA with a major in Indigenous Studies from the University of Saskatchewan in 1995. In 1998 he received an MA in Indigenous Studies from Trent University and completed the thesis “A Numiany” The Prayer People and the Pagans of Walpole Island First Nation.” In 2011, he received a PhD in history from the University of Regina for the dissertation, “Mediating the Numbered Treaties: Eyewitness Accounts of the Numbered Treaties Between the Crown and Indigenous Peoples, 1871-1876.” This research became the basis for No Surrender: The Land Remains Indigenous which was published by the University of Regina Press in 2019 and includes a foreword by Dr. Winona Wheeler.
Dr. Krasowski has taught in both history and Indigenous Studies departments at First Nations University of Canada; Vancouver Island University; the University of Saskatchewan; Blue Quills First Nations College; the University of Calgary; and Athabasca University. He has completed research for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, the Metis Nation of Ontario, and is currently a co-investigator on a research project with the Montreal Lake Cree Nation on the Treaty 6 Adhesion of 1889. Sheldon began his research journey with the office of the Treaty Commissioner in 1998, and after a hiatus of almost 20 years is currently the coordinator of research and archives at the Office of the Treaty Commissioner in Saskatoon.
Charmaine joined the OTC as Administrative Assistant, Reconciliation in April 2017 as part of a partnership with the City of Saskatoon.
She loves work on Reconciliation because she likes to see the positive change in the community, while bettering the lives of youth, who are our future leaders of tomorrow. Her personal call to action is Listen, Learn, Show Up and Share.
Charmaine was born and raised in in Ile a la Crosse, but has lived in Saskatoon on and off since 1995. She has two children, Bryden, 22, and Desiree, 18. She loves to spend time with her partner, Clarence, and her family -- and she likes a good read or drama series.
Dr. Kevin wâsakâyâsiw Lewis is a nêhiyaw (Plains Cree) instructor, researcher and writer.
Dr. Lewis has worked with higher learning institutions within the Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in the areas of Cree language development and instructional methodologies. His research interests include teaching treaties in the classroom (OTC), language and policy development, second language teaching methodologies, teacher education programming, and environmental education. For the past 20 years, Dr. Lewis has been working with community schools in promoting land and language-based education and is founder of kâniyâsihk Culture Camps, a non-profit organization focused on holistic community well-being and co-developer of Land-Based Cree Immersion School kâ-nêyâsihk mîkiwâhpa.
Dr. Lewis is from Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6 Territory.
Pamela Beaudin is a born and raised Saskatoon community leader. She holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan and began her career in the energy industry. She worked to combine engineering principles with Indigenous ways of knowing regarding sustainability and respect for the environment.
Recently, she was appointed as the Métis representative on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Council for the City of Saskatoon.
She is looking forward to supporting both the Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan and the Office of the Treaty Commissioner in this exciting new role as the Policy and Research Manager.
