A beautiful person that I knew personally has passed. She was a mother, a grandmother and a teacher. For her work for the betterment of Canadian First Nations people Helen Manyfingers received the Order of Canada.
The impact she had on students is hard to measure. She attended many a convocation in a wheelchair just so she could congratulate First Nations students as they received their diplomas. She as an inspiration and a guide for not only her people, The Bloods, but also all students that were having a hard time getting through their education while raising their children.
She was a magnificent woman and her children will carry on her legacy as leaders in education.
From the University of Lethbridge announcement.
http://www.uleth.ca/...
Manyfingers graduated from Grade 9 at St. Mary’s Indian High School on the Blood Reserve in 1937. Later in life, as a mature student with children, she decided to further her education. After earning Teacher’s Assistant Certificates NO. 1 and 2 from Mount Royal College in 1969 and 1970, Helen enrolled at the University of Lethbridge where she graduated with a Bachelor of Education, majoring in music and early childhood education.
For two years, Manyfingers worked as a Lethbridge Community College instructor for the basic skills program on the Blood Reserve while also working as a school maintenance supervisor at the reserve’s Lavern School. From 1969 to 1973 she taught in the Lavern and Stand Off kindergarten programs. She then became an education counsellor for the Blood/Peigan District in 1976, a role in which she served for 11 years for Blood and Peigan students on the reserve and in Lethbridge’s separate and public school systems.
Manyfingers also lent her expertise to the Lethbridge Community College Native Advisory Committee in 1975 and 1976 and to the Alberta Native Advisory Board for Southern Alberta from 1985 to 1987.
After retiring from her role as an educator, Manyfingers served as a member of the Blood Band Council, bringing a sincere dedication to making fair and equitable decisions. Further, Manyfingers served as a member of the University of Lethbridge Alumni Association and as the alumni’s representative on the University of Lethbridge Senate from 1985 to 1988.
Manyfingers also supported U of L students through the scholarship named in her honour – the Dr. Helen Manyfingers Alumni Association Education Award.
In 1992, Manyfingers received an honorary degree from the University of Lethbridge – the first awarded to a U of L graduate.
On October 21, 1999, she was appointed to the Order of Canada, the University of Lethbridge’s first graduate to receive the honour.
In 2007, Manyfingers was inducted into the University of Lethbridge Alumni Honour Society.
In 2013, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal.