Buffy Sainte-Marie

'That's like seeing the queen' my Dad said when I came home from the closing plenary at the STLHE (Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education) conference. Buffy was a passionate speaker, advocating for more aborignal content in the education system, sharing childhood stories, and her pride about being a woman. The room full of university and college educators sat quietly and listened to her speak. She smiled and posed on the speaker's stand as she described projects on her Cradleboard website. Part way through her speech she read a poem called 'War Racket.' She emphasized the need to instill pride in aboriginal students, and at the same time she encouraged everyone to ask questions like 'what really happened?' when you look at the arrival of the Europeans and wars. She ended by saying we should leave our guilt and bitterness to dry out, and then use it like buffalo chips for fuel and fertilizer. She seemed to be a very approachable person and someone who likes to smile.