Bwaananaabekwe Mary Moose, Anishnaabe Elder, Turtle Island

Bwaananaabekwe is an Anishinaabe Elder, born in the remote regions of Northern Ontario, Canada. She is from the First Albany First Nation in Ontario and is also known as Gaa-giizhiikwajiwed Bwaananaabekwe, The Mermaid Who Swims Fast, or just Bwaananaabekwe. Bwaananaabekwe was raised by her grandparents in the deep bush of Northern Canada. Her early life was similar to that of our ancestors who lived before contact with Europeans. Mary heard many stories as a child, bundled in bed in the family wigwam. She listened to her relatives fill the long winter nights with ancestral teachings that connect every living thing and how these stories are written in the stars. At a very young age, she used her star knowledge to navigate cross-country back to her home, after escaping horrific abuse in a government boarding school. Mary holds a wealth of knowledge, skills, and abilities. She is a first language speaker of Cree and Ojibwe and has devoted her life to helping Anishinaabeg in Canada and the United States revitalize language, and pass on knowledge that has been suppressed over hundreds of years (and counting) of forced assimilation.