Honouring Indigenous Voices
12 May 2025
In the photo, from left: Joanne Olson, Ferlyn Regis, Kobe Lizotte, Pauline Paul
One year after the official launch of the Faculty of Nursing's History Room in the Edmonton Clinical Health Academy, the space has grown in meaning. With the addition of new materials recognizing Indigenous nurses and Knowledge Keepers, the room now tells a richer, more inclusive story, one that acknowledges the enduring presence and contributions of Indigenous Peoples in nursing.
This evolution is thanks to Honouring Indigenous Voices, a thoughtful project initiated by NURS 425 students Ferlyn Regis and Kobe Lizotte, under the guidance of Dr. Pauline Paul and Dr. Joanne Olson. What began as a course project grew into a moving tribute to the Indigenous alumni, Elders and healers whose legacies have shaped nursing in Canada, and at the PG电子官方网站.
“Through this project, I was inspired (as an Indigenous nursing student), because I was able to relate to the Indigenous nurses who came before me,” says Kobe. “I felt inspired and it changed my perspective on what I can achieve and overcome within my career. This project gave me a safe space to have my uncertainty and doubts be met with testimonies of success and hope.”
The students began their work with a firm commitment to cultural respect. Guided by the PG电子官方网站's Elder Protocol and working closely with Kokums Alvina Lake and Hazel McKinnett, they created space for conversations that were grounded in trust and ceremony. The project was not simply about collecting stories, but about listening deeply, honouring relationships and learning from the wisdom of those who came before. Their work was also supported by Kristin Zelyck, Assistant Teaching Professor with the Faculty of Nursing, and Jodi Richter from Alumni Relations, whose guidance and contributions helped shape both the process and final presentation of the project.
“From the very beginning, we were intentional in how we communicated with Elders,” says Ferlyn. “Recognizing that their wisdom is foundational to the integrity of this project. The stories we gathered were shaped by this process of mutual respect, and we hope that showcasing the steps we took in this journey reflect the care and intention with which we approached the work.”
Over the course of the term, Ferlyn and Kobe interviewed seven Indigenous alumni, each of whom shared their experiences as nurses, leaders and community members. These alumni offered powerful insights into the intersections of nursing practice, cultural identity, and systemic change.
“Through hearing the stories and perspectives of the alumni,” Kobe reflects, “it helped me to be okay with taking up space as an Indigenous person in nursing.”
One of the alumni who participated in this project, Lianne Mantla-Look, reflected on the experience of sharing her story and what it meant to be part of something that might resonate with future students:
"I didn’t grow up with Indigenous role models who went into nursing. I was the first in my region to become a nurse. My hope is that having more Indigenous representation will help ease a bit of the burden on Indigenous patients in terms of trying to build trust in relationships with their healthcare providers.”
Her contribution to the project adds not only personal experience, but also a sense of possibility for those who may follow in her footsteps, especially students who are still looking for reflections of themselves in the profession.
Another alumna, whose legacy is featured, is Jean Cuthand Goodwill, a pioneering nurse from Little Pine First Nation. After recovering from tuberculosis in the 1940s, Jean became Saskatchewan’s first Indigenous nursing graduate and one of Canada’s earliest Indigenous nurses. She went on to help found the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association and played a key role in public service, nursing education, and advocacy. Her story is now preserved and shared as part of the History Room display.
But the project also reaches beyond individuals. It honours the countless Indigenous healers of Treaty 6 whose knowledge and care guided early nursing students, often without formal recognition. Their teachings, rooted in culture, spirituality, and relationship, have long informed compassionate care and continue to shape the profession.
In a small but heartfelt ceremony on April 8, members of the faculty, students and Indigenous alumni gathered in the Sperber Library to mark the completion of the project and place the commemorative items in the History Room. The presence of Elders, faculty leaders and nursing alumni made the event a meaningful moment of reflection and celebration.
“I hope this project sends a powerful message,” says Ferlyn. “That your histories matter, your presence belongs here, and your future contributions are vital to the profession.”
The Honouring Indigenous Voices project doesn’t mark the end of this work, it is a continuation. It deepens the story told within the History Room and reminds all who enter that nursing has always been shaped by many hands, cultures and traditions. Thanks to this project, the space better reflects the diverse community it serves—and invites future generations of students to continue learning, listening, and honouring those who came before.