Beyond Land Acknowledgements
A compassionate community of free religious thought, inviting all people to rest, grow, and serve the world.
Reconciliation Soup & Speaker Series
Interested in learning more, and engaging in activities to encourage reconciliation? Curious about earlier and current Indigenous inhabitants of Treaty Six territories, what wisdom has been passed down? Wondering how (re-)connecting to each other and our Indigenous neighbours helps us on the path to truth and reconciliation?
This continuation of our speaker series adds an opportunity to join us on a Sunday evening for soup & bannock, stories and conversation. Please pass the word and reserve your spot(s).
Speaker: Beatrice Demetrius
Stories from the Metis Culture
Date: Sunday June 1 2025
Time: 6:00 to 8 pm -Doors open at 5:30 pm
Speakers in our Beyond Land Acknowledgements series, so far, have been Indigenous or settlers, and spoken from that experience. Beatrice, on the other hand, will be speaking from her roots and lifelong experience in Metis culture.
Beatrice Demetrius neé Jobin is a Metis mother, grandmother, and chapan (great-grandmother). She grew up in the Alberta farming community of Big Prairie with seven siblings; both parents were Metis.
She worked at the Metis Nation for many years as their lead genealogist and was a member of the Metis culture team, travelling to many different archives in Canada and also to the Utah research centre.
She retired in 2018 but has continued working on a contract basis, researching Metis soldiers of WWI, WWII, and Korea. She has completed and verified the genealogy of over 7000 Metis soldiers to date.
Beatrice is an Elder of the Metis National Council Veterans of Canada and, in April of this year, travelled to Europe to place Metis flags on soldier’s graves at Groesbeek and Holten, Holland.
Beatrice’s knowledge and skill continues to be in high demand; she continues to promote Metis culture and history when asked to do so.
You can expect to be both educated and delighted by this wonderful storyteller!
An Invitation
We always welcome suggestions for speakers, activities and new participation in our organising group.
Contact us:
reconciliation@westwoodunitarian.ca
SUBSCRIBE to this website, see form below, to receive updates directly to your email.
Previous Speaker Video
Click Here to Watch Our Youtube Playlistof Previous SpeakersREGISTRATION is required.
This allows us to:
- Contact you if there is a change in the program
- Provide adequate refreshments for participants
- Accommodate dietary restrictions as much as possible
If you are joining us ONLINE, please access the presentation using:
Zoom LinkPrevious attendance never needed for participation in the next session. All welcome! The registration is now open.