Everett Baker Award for Saskatchewan Heritage

2017 Winner: Elder Cecile Blanke

Elder Cecile Blanke was born in 1934 on the family farm in the Lac Pelletier Valley, south of Swift Current.

Cecile is the President of Prairie Dog Métis Local 123 and Chairperson of the Lac Pelletier Lac La Plume Historical Association.

Through these groups, and on her own initiative, she has organized many events related to the recognition and celebration of Métis history and culture in the Swift Current area.

Over the years, Cecile has spoken about growing up Métis, to many school groups in several communities. She has been the face of Métis in Swift Current, talking about her family history, making and serving bannock, arranging for fiddlers and dancers during Culture Days, at Swift Current Library and at numerous other public events.

Cecile worked with a well-known Métis author Louise (Trottier) Moine from Val Marie, Sask. Louise wrote 2 books that told of her growing up in the Lac Pelletier Valley and her experiences in Lebret Residential School. Louise’s efforts in preserving the history of the almost forgotten Métis people of Lac Pelletier inspired Cecile to continue doing what Louise had started.

In 2005, Cecile organized a celebration at Lac Pelletier to honor Métis veterans from the area. This event spawned the idea to create a permanent memorial at the lake. Through Cecile’s initiative and determination, over $22,000 was raised for the erection of a Métis Veterans War Memorial at Lac Pelletier (amount matched by grant from Dept. Veteran’s Affairs).  

A monument was designed by Cecile, sculptors hired, and a dedication ceremony held in August, 2013.

For several years, Cecile has organized an annual event at Goodwin House at Saskatchewan Landing to honour and celebrate the Métis connections (including her grandparents) to that location. Through her efforts, a Métis flag is now flown there, permanently, alongside a large metal Red River cart.

She has led an effort to have exhibits in Goodwin House reflect the human history of the house and surroundings, including Métis connections.

Cecile received the Order of the Métis Nation of Canada in 2014 – the first woman to be recognized with the honour.

Cecile is an example of a lifetime of tireless work to ensure that young and old are aware of their history and proud of their heritage.

For this and all her many accomplishments, we are honoured to make her a recipient of the Everett Baker Award.

2017 Winner: Graham Guest

During 1980-83, Mr. Guest became an Information Officer with the Department of Northern Saskatchewan and his job included travelling the north to gather information for articles for Denosa magazine.

This combined his love of photography and history, and for three years Graham used his writing abilities to create feature articles about northern people and communities.

During 1984-85 he was a reporter-photographer for the La Ronge Northerner newspaper, another job where he was able to interview northerners and gather local history and photographs.

Graham’s writing and photographs have appeared in many publications such as The Beaver, New Breed, and Caribou News. He was a member of the La Ronge Historical Society and the Museum Board.

In 2003 he was hired by Pahkisimon Nuyeʔáh Library System to be the first archivist with Northern Saskatchewan Archives, which incorporated all of his interests and skills.

The Archives has become an active centre for those interested in northern history, and Graham has responded to hundreds of requests for information and photographs, provides tours of the Archives, and sets up displays for regional events such as Lac La Ronge Indian Band’s celebrations and local school’s cultural days.

He organizes an Open House during Saskatchewan Archives Week which has attracted over 100 visitors at each event.  His knowledge and collection of photographs of the La Ronge Anglican Mission School (1907-1947) has been highly praised for assisting people in their search for family history.

Graham is respected for his vast knowledge of the north, the culture, and the people, and he has become known as the ‘Keeper of Knowledge’ for northern Saskatchewan.

Graham’s dedication to preserving and promoting the history of Northern Saskatchewan is what inspired our Board to nominate him for this award. This includes not only efforts to preserve information and photographs depicting Northern history, but also his work to make that history accessible through tours, displays, and open houses; his understanding and respect for the heritage of the North, and his tremendous dedication to accurate and detailed preparation, description and preservation of archival materials which will truly be a gift to future generations.

2017 Winner: RIIS Commemorative Association Inc. and RIIS Media Project

A few short years ago, the site of the Regina Indian Industrial School was a forgotten corner of a field just outside the City. Built in 1891 and running until 1910, this residential school had an average enrolment of 120 students per year by 1900. Approximately 43 First Nations communities, mostly from Saskatchewan, had children who attended. In 2012, an engineering firm conducted a survey of the area and discovered a number of unmarked graves in the old school cemetery. 

RIIS Media Project, Inc. is a non-profit organization to develop, create and present media related to the Regina Indian Industrial School, the families, communities and legacy of the school. The RIIS Media Project not only produces and shares the documentary film, RIIS from Amnesia, but also other stories by different storytellers inspired by the Regina Indian Industrial School, the students, families and communities.

To date, RIIS from Amnesia has been screened both nationally and internationally. Through their website, the RIIS team has also connected the public with a variety of community-based videos that relate to the RIIS and to residential schools more generally. As a result of this work to call public attention to this little-known aspect of Saskatchewan History, the RIIS has garnered significant media attention. The work of the RIIS project team was rewarded on Sept. 26, 2016 when Regina city council voted unanimously to grant the site municipal heritage status. Work is ongoing, as future plans include the continuing use of the site as a place for healing and dialogue about reconciliation for the city of Regina and beyond.

The hard work and dedication of members of the Association and Media Project has led to a successful project that has included a Municipal Heritage Designation for the school cemetery. In addition, innovative storytelling through film and digital media has succeeded in calling sustained public attention to the history and legacy of Industrial Schools.