Today, during National Nurses Week, Grandmother’s Voice honours Dr. Evelyn Voyageur.
Dr. Voyageur is Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw from Kingcome Inlet. She is a fluent speaker of Kwakwala, an active matriarch in Kwakwaka’wakw culture and traditions, and has dedicated more than five decades to improving the health of Indigenous Peoples through nursing. Her work has included community health, hospital care, nursing education, cultural safety, and support for former residential school students.
In 2003, Dr. Voyageur became the first Indigenous nurse to receive Health Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health Branch Award of Excellence in Nursing. The Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association notes that this award recognized dedication, initiative, and excellence among nurses working with First Nations and Inuit communities to improve Indigenous health.
But the heart of her story is not only in the awards. It is in the way she has carried culture into care.
Dr. Voyageur’s life and work remind us that Indigenous health cannot be understood through Western systems alone. For Indigenous Peoples, wellness has always been more than the absence of illness. It is spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental. It is tied to land, language, kinship, ceremony, food, memory, safety, and belonging. It is carried by families and Nations. It is taught through stories, songs, practice, responsibility, and presence.
That understanding matters because health care systems have often treated Indigenous people as problems to be managed, rather than people and Nations with their own knowledge, laws, medicines, and ways of healing. Cultural safety asks something different. It asks health care workers and institutions to recognize power, racism, colonial harm, and the lived experience of the person receiving care. It asks whether the patient feels respected, safe, heard, and seen.
Dr. Voyageur’s work has helped bring that understanding into nursing education and health systems.
She has been active in the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association, formerly the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada, since 1980, and has served in leadership roles, including as president. She also founded the Native and Inuit Nurses Association of B.C. in the early 1980s to support education and better care for people working with First Nations communities.
Her leadership has also reached into the design of culturally safe health care spaces. Island Health has recognized her role in creating culturally safe and inclusive environments at new hospital campuses, including Gathering Places for ceremony and quiet reflection, and policies around the use of those rooms.
That may sound like a small thing to someone who has always felt safe in a hospital.
But for Indigenous families, a room for ceremony can mean everything. It can mean a place to pray. A place to sit with grief. A place to hold silence. A place where culture is not treated as an inconvenience. A place where spirit is not pushed outside the doors of care.
Dr. Voyageur’s story reminds us that Indigenous Nurses do not simply provide care inside existing systems. They change the meaning of care. They ask who the space was built for. They ask who feels welcome. They ask whose language is heard, whose medicines are respected, whose grief is understood, whose family is included, whose teachings are allowed to enter the room.
She has also helped open pathways for future Indigenous Nurses. That work is sacred in its own way. Every Indigenous student who sees someone like Dr. Voyageur standing in the profession sees possibility. Every classroom shaped by cultural safety becomes a little more prepared to serve Indigenous patients with dignity. Every health program grounded in community knowledge becomes a reminder that care should never be imposed from the outside without listening to the people it is meant to serve.
Today, Grandmother’s Voice honours Dr. Evelyn Voyageur for her leadership, her teaching, her advocacy, and her commitment to Indigenous wellness.
We honour the Nurses who do not only work within health care systems, but transform them.
We honour the ones who remind us that care is strongest when it is rooted in culture, guided by community, and accountable to the people.
Presented by Samantha Doxtater
Presented by GRANDMA RENEE
In a world seeking direction, Indigenous teachings offer clear and enduring policies for how to live in harmony with one another and the Earth. This workshop invites participants to explore the profound lessons of the Two Row Wampum Belt and other wampum belts as frameworks for mutual respect, environmental care, and collective well-being. These belts, created long before colonization, embody ancestral agreements that guide humanity on how to coexist with honor, dignity, and reciprocity.
Led by Grandmother Renee, this session emphasizes the importance of relearning and honoring the policies established by our ancestors, rather than creating new paths disconnected from this wisdom. Through the teachings of the belts, participants will uncover the principles of self-care, stewardship of the land, and respect for all beings. This is not about inventing something new—it is about rediscovering the instructions that were always there and committing to uphold them.
Key Takeaways:
Through this workshop, participants will be reminded that the wisdom of the belts is not only a guide for Indigenous communities but a path for all of humanity to walk together in respect and care for one another and the Earth.
Presented by Grandma Gail and Angela DeMontigny
Ceremony is more than tradition—it is a deliberate practice rooted in wisdom, responsibility, and foresight. This workshop explores the “science of ceremony” as a guide to living with intention and accountability for the next seven generations. Our ancestors used ceremony to prepare for the future, ensuring that their actions would benefit not only their own time but also those yet to come. Now, it is our responsibility to carry that practice forward.
Led by Grandmother Gail, this session will examine what has been lost and the actions we must take to restore, respect, and reclaim the ceremonial practices that ensure the well-being of future generations. Participants will be encouraged to reconnect with ceremony as a means of healing, reflection, and renewal, building a foundation of responsibility to guide us in restoring balance and harmony.
Key Takeaways:
Through this workshop, participants will rediscover the transformative power of ceremony as a pathway to healing, accountability, and preparation for a sustainable and harmonious future. Together, we will reaffirm our responsibility to the generations to come.
Presented by Asha Frost
Join Asha Frost, an Indigenous healer, teacher, and bestselling author, for a transformative workshop rooted in traditional teachings and the power of self-discovery. Asha’s work often centers on reconnecting with ancestral wisdom, embracing one’s authentic self, and creating pathways for healing and empowerment. Drawing from her Anishinaabe roots, she weaves stories, teachings, and practical tools to inspire participants to reclaim their power and align with their purpose.
Through her signature blend of traditional healing practices and modern insights, Asha guides participants in understanding how to honor their own journey, navigate challenges with resilience, and embrace the interconnectedness of all beings. This workshop is an invitation to explore the sacred within and around us, fostering personal growth and collective transformation.
Key Takeaways:
Whether you are seeking personal healing, professional inspiration, or a deeper connection to traditional wisdom, this session with Asha Frost promises to be a profound and enriching experience.
Presented by Allen Sutherland
The Seven Fires prophecy, as shared by seven prophets across different time periods, offers profound guidance for humanity’s path forward. According to Anishinaabe oral tradition, these teachings speak to the choices we face when the world has been polluted, and the waters turned bitter by disrespect. The prophecy teaches that humanity must choose between materialism and spirituality—one path leading to survival and the other to destruction.
In this workshop, Mishoomis Allen will guide participants through the teachings of the Seven Fires prophecy, exploring its relevance in today’s world and its call for spiritual renewal. Additionally, he will share his Canadian Indigenous Historical Timeline, providing a broader context for understanding the cultural, social, and spiritual significance of these teachings.
Key Takeaways:
This workshop offers an opportunity to reflect deeply on humanity’s collective responsibility and the transformative power of choosing a spiritual path for the survival of future generations.
Presented by Thohahoken Michael Doxtater
In this session, Thohahoken Michael Doxtater explores the ongoing impact of Canada’s colonial policies on Indigenous communities and the historical journey toward Truth and Reconciliation. He examines the systemic attempts to erase Indigenous identity, from residential schools to the suppression of cultural practices, and highlights Indigenous resilience and legal resistance. The presentation also delves into the concept of the “Canada Rafter,” a historical agreement acknowledging Canada’s adoption into the Indigenous Longhouse, raising the question: Has Canada truly upheld its responsibilities in this relationship?
