Kimberly Jonathan is doing something no one has ever done before. She’s the first woman to be chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nation’s (FSIN) and the first woman to wear an iconic plains Indian headdress with pride.
Two years ago, she was elected to the FSIN executive as a vice-chief and gifted a blanket. At the time, male vice-chiefs were given feathered war bonnets.
That different gifts for women and men on the executive didn’t stop Jonathan from working hard and earning her place as a top leader at the FSIN. She is a pioneer and champion for the rights of women and children.
"I didn't accept the headdress for myself," she recently told the Star Pheonix newspaper in Saskatoon. "I accepted it to honour and to bring that respect of the children, the little girls that are our there watching."
Women belong in respected leadership roles, she said.
"Whether it's being a chief, an educator, an RCMP, in the trades or at your homefire,” Jonathan added.
“We are intended for this honour and this high prestige.”
Do you have an awesome female role model in your life?
Image source: www.fsin.com
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