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Verna Jane Kirkness
Born 1935 (age 89–90)
Nationality Canadian
Education B.A (1974)
B.Ed. (1976)
Master of Education (1980)
Alma mater University of Manitoba
Employer University of British Columbia
Awards Order of Canada (1998),
Order of Manitoba (2007),
Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal (2003)

Verna Jane Kirkness, CM OM (born in 1935 in Fisher River Cree Nation, Manitoba) is a very important Cree scholar. A scholar is someone who studies a lot and knows a lot about a subject. She has spent her life supporting Indigenous languages, cultures, and education. Her work has greatly influenced how Indigenous education is done in Canada.

Verna Kirkness is now a professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia. This means she is a retired professor who still keeps her title. She lives in Winnipeg. She has received many awards for her amazing work over five decades. One of her top awards was the Order of Canada in 1998. She has written many books and articles about the history of Indigenous education. The University of Manitoba started the Verna J. Kirkness Science and Engineering Education Program in 2009. This program helps Indigenous students.

Early Life and School

Verna Kirkness was born in 1935. In the 1950s, she went to a private high school. This school was about 160 kilometers away from her home in Fisher River. The Women's Missionary Society of Canada paid for her schooling.

Becoming an Educator

Verna Kirkness earned her Teaching Certificate in 1959. After that, she started teaching in a residential school. She later taught elementary school in Manitoba's public school system. She also worked as a principal in First Nations schools.

From 1967 to 1970, she was a special consultant for the Manitoba Department of Education. She also supervised elementary schools. During this time, she started a language program. This program taught children in Cree and Ojibwa in several Manitoba schools. This helped children learn in their own languages.

Working for Indigenous Rights

In the early 1970s, Verna Kirkness became the first education director for the Manitoba Indian Brotherhood. This group is now called the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. She then worked for the National Indian Brotherhood. She played a key role in creating two very important documents. These were "Wahbung: Our Tomorrows" (1971) and "Indian Control of Indian Education" (1972). These two documents have guided First Nations education in Canada for over 40 years.

Wahbung: Our Tomorrows

Verna Kirkness helped create "Wahbung: Our Tomorrows" in 1971. This paper was written by the Manitoba Indian Brotherhood (MIB). It was against a plan by the Prime Minister at the time, Pierre Elliott Trudeau. His plan, called the 1969 White Paper, wanted to get rid of the Indian Act.

The government thought the Indian Act was unfair. They wanted to end the special legal relationship between Aboriginal peoples and the Canadian government. They believed this would make everyone equal. However, many Aboriginal leaders, including the MIB, disagreed. They felt it would harm their rights and cultures. Because of this strong opposition, the government stopped the White Paper plan in 1970.

Indian Control of Indian Education

Verna Kirkness also helped develop another important document in 1972. This was the first written plan for Indian education. It was called "Indian Control of Indian Education." The Chiefs of the National Indian Brotherhood approved this plan. They presented it to the Minister of Indian Affairs, Jean Chrétien, on December 21, 1972. This document was a big step towards First Nations communities having more say in their children's education.

At the University of British Columbia

In 1981, Verna Kirkness joined the University of British Columbia (UBC). She became the director of the Native teacher education program. She worked to create new programs and support services for Aboriginal students. She also helped create the Ts’kel Graduate Program.

In 1985, Kirkness became the first director of UBC's First Nations House of Learning. She was also very important in planning and building the First Nations Longhouse. This special building opened on the campus in 1993. It provides a welcoming space for Indigenous students and culture.

Supporting Indigenous Languages

Verna Kirkness also helped inspire the creation of the Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute (CILLDI) in 1999. CILLDI is a special summer school. It helps Indigenous language activists, speakers, linguists, and teachers. It is held every year at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

In 2008, Priscilla Settee spoke at the United Nations. She explained how Cree scholars like Dr. Freda Ahenakew and Dr. Verna Kirkness helped start CILLDI. They wanted to make sure Indigenous languages continue to be strong.

Awards and Recognition

Verna Kirkness has received many awards for her dedication. These include:

  • The "Outstanding Educator of British Columbia award" (1990)
  • The Golden Eagle Feather Award from the Professional Native Women's Association
  • The Canadian Youth Education Excellence Prize as Canada's Educator of the Year
  • The Aboriginal Achievement Award (1994)
  • The Order of Canada (1998)
  • The Order of Manitoba (2007)
  • The Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal (2003)

She has also received honorary degrees from several universities. These include UBC (1994), University of Western Ontario (1992), Mount St. Vincent (1990), and the University of Manitoba (2008). An honorary degree is a special award given by a university to honor someone's achievements.

The Verna J. Kirkness Science and Engineering Education Program was started in 2009. It is at the University of Manitoba and is named in her honor. Its goal is to help more First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students graduate from science and engineering programs in Canada. This program has now grown to include other universities across Canada.

Why Language Matters

Verna Kirkness believes that language is very important for a person's identity. Identity is who you are and where you come from. She says that Indigenous people are more likely to keep their identity if their languages are supported. She believes governments should support Indigenous languages just like they support French.

She has said, "Language is the main way culture is passed down from one generation to another. Language shows the unique way a group sees the world." This means that language helps people share their history, stories, and traditions.

In 2007, Patricia Settee wrote her doctoral dissertation. A dissertation is a long paper written for a university degree. In it, Settee named Kirkness as one of the main people who helped create new ideas about language. Settee said that Kirkness's work helps bring Indigenous ways of thinking and storytelling into education.

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