Gail Guthrie Valaskakis facts for kids

Gail Guthrie Valaskakis (1939-2007) was an important Indigenous scholar and leader. She taught about media and communication at Concordia University. She also held a high position there as Dean of Arts and Sciences. Later, she became a research director at the Aboriginal Healing Foundation in Ottawa.

Early Life and Education

Gail Guthrie Valaskakis was born on May 9, 1939, in Ashland, Wisconsin. She grew up on the Lac du Flambeau First Nation in Wisconsin. Her parents were Chippewa and Dutch-American.

As a child, Valaskakis went to a United States Indian school. She always identified as an Indigenous person. She had two sons, Paris and Ion.

In 1961, Valaskakis earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin. She studied Speech and Drama. She then went to Cornell University and received her Master of Arts degree in Theater Arts.

Later, in 1979, she completed her PhD at McGill University. Her research looked at how people from different cultures communicate.

Contributions to Indigenous Education

Valaskakis was a key figure in creating Manitou College. This was the first Indigenous post-secondary school in eastern Canada. She also helped start the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal. She was involved with Waseskun House, which helps Indigenous people.

Valaskakis worked at Concordia University from 1968 to 1998. She spent most of her time in the Communication Studies Department. She held many leadership roles there. She was the department chair from 1983 to 1985.

She also served as Vice-Dean and then Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science. While at Concordia, she helped create the Native Education Centre on campus. She also helped set up a joint doctoral program in communications.

After leaving Concordia in 1998, Valaskakis continued her important work. In 2000, she became the research director for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. She held this role until she passed away in 2007.

In her memory, the foundation's research library was named the "Gail Guthrie Valaskakis Memorial Resource Centre." In 2011, this resource center was given to the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre at Algoma University.

Awards and Recognition

Gail Guthrie Valaskakis received several important awards for her work.

• She won the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in Media and Communications in 2002.
• She also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa in 2005.

Valaskakis passed away in Ottawa on July 19, 2007.