Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mary Louise Norwegian of Rabbit Skin River was born to Joseph and Elizabeth Augier Norwegian, March 8, 1938. She was very close to her dad, who taught her everything traditional and how to survive in the wilderness. She was the second-youngest of her siblings. She had four sisters and five brothers.
Her favourite times of the year were spring and fall. In the springtime, she would trap beaver, catch fish, and collect birch sap for syrup. In the later summer, she would travel up to her cabin on the Horn Plateau, where she would hunt moose and caribou, fish, and pick berries. On quiet fall days, she would spend time sewing and doing other crafts. As well, she enjoyed watching the ducks, geese, and swans that would stop by the cabin at her lake as they said good-bye, as they continued on their journey south. She used to say, "This is the most beautiful place on Earth. It must be like this at heaven's gates."
She did her very best to raise her children, eight, as a single parent, and passed on her traditional knowledge. Mary Louise was very proud of the fact that she was the first traditional woman to own her own home and land in the village of Fort Simpson. She had the opportunity to go on a traditional exchange program to Siberia for a couple of weeks. She would always say, "The people are so kind to us and would share what little they had with us." Many times, she got close to death. There was one time she was alone at her cabin and cut her thigh to the bone with a chain saw. When she would tell this story, she would say, "My bush radio saved my life."
For many years, she worked at the Fort Simpson health centre as an interpreter and a caregiver for elders, and she prepared loved ones for burial. She received a Wise Woman Award and was very honoured for this acknowledgement. She always said she was thankful she had the education and always challenged herself to be better. Life could be rough, especially at residential school, but without education, it could be a lot worse. She never gave up. She told her nephew, "Living off the land only is over. We cannot go back. Learning and training oneself is to be the best you can be so you can learn to use our precious lands properly and help each other."
In her last few years, she suffered from Parkinson's disease and wasn't able to go to her cabin, but her spouse of 25 years, A.J. Augier, was by her side, cheering her up and assisting her where he could. He held her hand to the very end, as she took her last breath on July 20th. The family would like to thank the staff at the long-term care home for the excellent service they provided their mother during her time there. She will be sadly missed by all.