Blackfoot Women's Empowerment Project

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UPLIFTING BLACKFOOT WOMEN ‘S VOICES

The Red Talk Masterclasses is a project led by Marsha Wolf Collar to uplift Indigenous women’s voices and stories. This series of talks is intended to empower all Blackfoot women and encourage success in their lives. 

ROLE MODELS IN THE BLACKFOOT COMMUNITY

EMPOWERING & INSPIRING BLACKFOOT WOMEN
  • To empower and inspire Blackfoot women who are looking for motivation to achieve their career aspirations
  • Talk about Indigenous women who have persevered in many ways to overcome systemic barriers imposed by governments in Canada
  • To talk about how colonization and assimilation impacted the Siksikaitsitapi epistemology (ways of knowing), and their ontological responsibilities (ways of being) and to determine the pedagogical approach to decolonization or approaches to reconciliation
  • Changing the narrative deficit (negative conception) of Indigenous women who endured a patriarchal society who deemed them as non-humans with no rights, to a place where today’s Indigenous women are finding their rightful place in society by challenging and breaking many of the systemic roadblocks and myths that deemed them “incompetent members of society”
Blackfoot Role Model
RED TALK MASTERCLASS (1)

PROJECT SUMMARY

OBJECTIVES & GOALS

Red Talk’s primary objective – Empowering Blackfoot Womens’ Voices Masterclass is to bring Indigenous women together to talk about their stories of personal challenges that led to stories for success and lessons they learned along the way. Their stories of their individual challenges leading to success aim to inspire, empower, and motivate Indigenous Blackfoot women to succeed. Historically and in contemporary times, Blackfoot women still are the foundations of their family units and communities.

The Red Talk – Masterclasses will consist of 7 virtual online events that will feature stories of Indigenous women’s successes within the Blackfoot Confederacy communities. Each Red Talk Masterclass episode aims to capture important aspects of the Blackfoot women’s stories of successes and challenges they endured along the way. The guest speakers will share their stories, the lessons they experienced, and support one another by engaging.

Previous Red Women Interviews

Episode One

Episode Two

Episode Three

RED WOMEN TALK STRUCTURE

INTERACTIVE INTERVIEWS

The Blackfoot Confederacy or Siksikaitsiitapi consists of the following Nations/Tribes: Amsskapipiikunniwa (Blackfeet Tribe) located in northern Montana, U.S.A., Kainaiwa (Blood Tribe), Siksikawa (Siksika Nation) and Aapatohipiikunniwa (Piikani Nation), located in southern Alberta, Canada.

Since time immemorial, these Nations occupied their traditional collective territory bounded on the north by the North Saskatchewan River, on the east by the confluence of the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers, on the south by the Yellowstone River, and on the west by the Rocky Mountains. This territory has been given to us by the Creator to live in harmony with all of creation. This traditional territory is marked with our sacred sites including, but not limited to, Ninastako (Chief Mountain), Iini Ksiskom (Buffalo Springs), Moko’waansin (Belly Buttes), Soyioh’powah’ko (Blackfoot Crossing), Miistuki’sts Koowa (Castle Mountain), Aiyii Ki’mikoi (Cypress Hills), Hand Hills, Old Man River, Yellowstone River, North Saskatchewan River, Table Mountain, Crows Creek, Sand Hills, Big Horn Medicine, Sweet Pine Hills, Kai’skah’piiks (Porcupine Hills), Oiskit’tsi’poi’iystuki (Heart Butte Mountain) and Whale Back Ridge.

The Blackfoot Confederacy continues connecting to these sacred sites through stories, songs, and ceremonies while collectively maintaining Blackfoot culture and language according to the Creator’s teachings.

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