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Cunningham, Ominayak chosen for Esquao Awards
Chris Clegg
for South Peace News
Two High Prairie area Aboriginal women will be honoured May 16 in Edmonton for their tireless work and contributions.
Lorraine Cunningham and Pauline Ominayak will be receiving 2009 Esquao Awards from the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women.
Cunningham has dedicated her life to Aboriginal children who have been forgotten in the child welfare system. She takes them in - no questions asked - and cares for them unconditionally.
Ominayak continually works to address the issues and concerns confronting First Nations people. The community respects and relies on her for advice. She is an asset to her community.
Dr. Cora Voyageur, University of Calgary Sociology professor, author and advocate, will be welcomed into the Circle of Honour for her work to advance issues of importance to Aboriginal women.
The bi-annual Montana Sharphead-Wells Angel of Hope Award for young girls aged 8-15 who have overcome obstacles will be given to Tannic Mitchell of Grande Prairie.
The Esquao Awards will take place May 16 at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton. The grand entry will commence at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6 p.m. and the gala at 7 p.m.
The event is renowned as the only gala awards ceremony in Canada which specifically celebrates the achievements of Aboriginal women.
“Aboriginal women are vital to building healthy Aboriginal communities,” says institute founder Muriel Stanley-Venne. “By honouring and recognizing their contributions, Alberta will be the inclusive, diverse place we all envision.”
The IAAW was founded by Stanley-Venne in 1995. She shortly established the Esquao Awards program in 1996. It serves as a shining role model in both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities.
In 2005, she was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada and received the Governor General’s Award in commemoration of the Persons Case in recognition of her vast work in the area of human rights.
In 2004, she received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Law and Justice, in 2006 she received the Lois Hole Lifetime Achievement Award and was named one of the 50 most influential people in Alberta Venture magazine.
Since the inception of the IAAW’s Esquao Awards program, over 300 Aboriginal women have been honoured for their contributions in the arts, social services and advocacy, health and medicine, culture, politics, justice, and community involvement.
The awards program also recognizes individuals for lifetime achievement, aspiring young women and young girls through the Angel of Hope Award.
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