Birdtail Sioux’s Bunn has big aspirations

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This article was published 21/04/2023 (884 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Southern Chiefs’ Organization has awarded scholarships to 14 students across its member nations in Manitoba to increase access to education and empower young First Nations people.

One of those students, Tréchelle Bunn from Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation, located 136 kilometres northwest of Brandon, hopes her education will be a launching point into a career that will make a real difference in her community.

“I would one day like to run for chief of my First Nation. We’ve never had a female chief before, so that’s one of my goals,” said Bunn, who also wants to become a lawyer.

Criminology — the study of crime and criminal behaviour — has always interested Bunn. She credits her father, an RCMP officer, for motivating her on her career path.

“Seeing him breaking into that field, as an Indigenous man, and take on that role of being the representation with the RCMP … and kind of wanting to change it from the inside is kind of what inspired me to be interested in criminology and criminal justice,” she said.

Bunn also wants to make a difference in the lives of Indigenous people, who continue to be over-represented in the criminal justice system.

In 2020-21, Indigenous men represented 30 per cent of male admissions to provincial and territorial custody and 32 per cent to federal custody, while Indigenous women represented 42 per cent of female admissions to provincial and territorial custody and 40 per cent to federal custody, Statistics Canada says.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada listed 18 calls to action aimed specifically at addressing gaps in the justice system with respect to Indigenous people, and another three for Indigenous people in the legal system.

Bunn previously studied for two years at the University of Calgary before transferring to the University of Manitoba. She will graduate this June with a bachelor of arts in criminology and a minor in Indigenous studies. Bunn was accepted into the Robson Hall Faculty of Law at the U of M.

Jerry Daniels, grand chief of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, said Bunn and other First Nation students’ commitment to knowledge is commendable. He hopes more Indigenous students will pursue higher education, graduate and go on to positively impact their communities.

“That’s why we do these kinds of things, to try to give more support and give them more hope for their educational aspirations,” Daniels told the Sun.

Manitoba’s four-year student-tracked high school graduation rate for June 2022 was 82.8 per cent in total. Non-Indigenous students reported a graduation rate of 91.1 per cent, while Indigenous students reported a rate of 50.9 per cent, according to the Manitoba Education website.

SCO provides scholarships to 14 students each year that are awarded through Indspire, a national education charity that invests in the learning of Indigenous people. The organization has also established an endowed scholarship for students attending the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, and newly created scholarships at Brandon University and Red River College Polytechnic will be awarded for the first time this fall.

The scholarships include funds to help students pay for rent, transportation, child care and more.

“It really helps them to get a good start with their post-secondary education,” Daniels said.

Education is essential to the economic sovereignty of First Nations, said Chief Cornell McLean of Lake Manitoba First Nation.

“Providing scholarships to SCO citizens who are pursuing their education is important to encourage and show support for their endeavours,” he said.

The SCO’s scholarships are funded in large part through their annual golf tournament, happening on Aug. 17 at the Kingswood Golf and Country Club in La Salle, Man. To learn more about the tournament, visit scoinc.mb.ca.

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