Gail Catherine Pelletier

Cree Matriarch, Mother, Grandmother and language speaker, Keewaitino Wabiskwe Myeengun Iskwe also called Gail Catherine Pelletier was born March 6, 1960, in Treaty 5 territory, The Pas, Manitoba, Canada. She died peacefully surrounded by her children, grandchildren and siblings at 3:20 AM in Treaty 1 territory, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at the age of sixty-four.

Our Mother lived to become the Matriarch of our #Pukatawagan Cree Nation Clan. Gail was a leader in the Indigenous Community as an expert in mental health with a focus on forensic psychology and helping Indigenous women in prisons. Her strength was immeasurable, she was tested her whole life beginning with surviving being taken by the RCMP as a five-year-old girl. She and her siblings attended Crosslake Indian Residential School. When a fellow student burned down Crosslake, she and her siblings were then moved to Guy Hill Indian Residential School.

Our Mother attended Indian Residential School for eight years of her childhood.

Even with the neglect and abuse during her formative years at the hands of the Catholic Church and the settler colonial state of Canada, Our Mother Gail never lost her ability to love unconditionally. Throughout her life, Gail inspired and activated generations of our family toward decolonization, healing, forgiveness and peace.

Our clan has a deep love and connection to the sacredness of our land and water. Our Mother Gail taught us that we are not poor, but wealthy in our relations. We currently do not have the financial means to bury our Mother with dignity. The journey our family is about to make with her remains to bury her beside her Mother, Pelegie Anderson is arduous, long and far.

Our trap line and family cemetery are located at the 57’ parallel on the colonial border of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, close to the Churchill River. Our trapline is at mile 122 of the train line between Mathias Colomb Cree Nation and the mining village of Lyn Lake. Our Mother Gail’s last request was to return home to Jetait to pick the blueberries and cranberries. This final act of love towards the land was to be followed by her being laid to rest beside our clan’s former Matriarch, her mother, Pelagie Anderson.

We need your help to cover the costs of her headstone, coffin, and expenses related to transporting, accommodating and feeding the extended family on the journey north to our home. We need to pay for offerings, tobacco and bills. All of our Mothers Children and Grandchildren have been here in Winnipeg for weeks to be with Mom till the end and it will be another week of travel yet. None of us have been able to work during this time.

Matthias Colomb Cree Nation is generously covering transportation of our mother's body from the city to Pukatawagan for the wake and then to our trapline in Jetait for burial. This bereavement support is particular and limited and our family needs to raise around another $15 000.00 CAD to accomplish this task.

Please support our family in burying our Mother with dignity in the spirit of reparations and the 94 calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

We thank you with everything we have left in our hearts.

In respect and peace,

Ki Na Na Skomitnowow, Gi Sa Ki Hi Tin,

Ekosani Maha

Starina Sky Müller, Daughter

Marco Marcel Malki Müller, Son

Angle Storm Pelletier, Son

Alma Gail Hart, Daughter

Blair “Bucky” Pelletier, Husband

Clayton Thomas-Müller, Son