Story featured on the Indspire website…
Amsey Maracle is a proud member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Ontario and Plains Cree from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in the Treaty 6 area in Saskatchewan. She is working on her Master of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University and she was the first person in her maternal family to earn an undergraduate degree.
Amsey cares very deeply about reconciliation and remembering the legacy and impact of the residential school system, as an intergenerational survivor of the system. She is committed to her own healing and passionate about reconciliatory efforts between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people through relationships based on the inherent rights of Indigenous peoples to be self-governing and self-determining.
“I have only recently connected the trauma I have experienced in my life to the residential school legacy and realized that there is still so much work to be done on the path to reconciliation. It was only in 2015 during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Closing Events in Ottawa that I became aware of just how deeply rooted intergenerational trauma really is and how the effects of the residential school system have shaped everything from my upbringing to the woman I have become today.
My grandparents are residential school survivors and my Mooshum (grandfather) sat on the Survivor’s Committee for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. His resilience and wisdom motivated me to pursue my interests in Indigenous-Crown relations by pursuing graduate studies with a concentration in Indigenous policy and administration.”
“My experience working closely with First Nations on both grassroots and national levels has helped me prepare for graduate studies and the knowledge I have gained has been extremely beneficial in applying this working experience to Indigenous policy and administration in my program.
I am grounded in my culture, I have a strong work ethic and I am determined to succeed in this program because there is still so much work to be done with Indigenous-Canada relations and I owe it to the residential school survivors in my family and our future generations to contribute to this important work and the rebuilding of our nations.
The opportunities I’ve had and the knowledge I have gained while working in Indigenous organizations has provided a deeper understanding of the triumphs and challenges of First Nations people. It has opened my heart and my mind, creating a genuine passion to continue serving our people and a desire to see our people healthy and part of thriving communities.
Amsey was supported by Indspire last year and it made the world of difference given the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a single parent returning to school as a mature student, it was difficult to secure the financial resources that are needed to commit to full-time graduate studies. This support came as such a surprise and at such an opportune time – I am truly grateful.”