Aboriginal - Girls Action Foundation

their rights, but women with formal education or not have fought to bring a better
future to generations of not only women, but men also because as mothers, they fight
for their children regardless of the gender. A woman does not see the world through
gendered eyes. This fight has been long, tempestuous, and grueling, but it has yielded
results and none of this would have come about without their strength and courage.
Aboriginal women leaders have an honest understanding of who they are, where they
come from, what they know and what they are capable of. It is this knowledge that
they carry with them and pass on to others by demonstrating a leadership role in their
communities speaking about what they know, what they’ve learned and what can be
done to ensure a better future. They are the ones in front of resistance, the ones who
are the last in embracing assimilation; they are the keepers and transmitters of language,
cultures and values. Good leaders work continually searching for new understandings and
skills that they can take back to their communities, to provide the younger generations
with an aspiration of who to become.
A woman, who, to me, has not only demonstrated, but exudes strength, dignity,
determination, empowerment and vision as an Aboriginal leader is Buffy Sainte Marie.
Her strength as an Aboriginal woman is illustrated in her talent of music and art, the
causes she is passionate about, and educates many about, as well as in the way she carries
herself with confidence. She is not afraid to speak truths about Aboriginal issues and
defending Indigenous rights, not only from North America but for other Nations in the
Americas as well. She does not back down or shy away from speaking out when she sees
injustice, as she did as a young woman in a period where women and Aboriginal rights
were not at the front of the political discourse. She, along with other leaders were the
ones paving the roads for us to continue this journey on. Having had the chance to meet
her in person was an honour. I offered her the sacred gift of a condor feather (which to
my Incan background, is the equivalent of an eagle feather), which in a way represents
the fulfillment of the prophecy of the encounter of the eagle and the condor bridging
the knowledge of Northern and Southern Indigenous cultures. As a true Aboriginal
leader, I know she is capable of rejuvenating her culture through music, art and activism
and inspiring many women, in the last 40 years, the same way she had inspired me when
I learnt about her music, her life and when I had the chance to meet her and shake her
hand.
46 Killa Mitchell-Atencio