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Recently I discovered my Indigenous roots.

I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia but moved around until my parents eventually landed in Ottawa, which is where I grew up. Most of my extended family, including aunts, uncles and grandparents, stayed back in Halifax and Labrador.

We didn’t see our family much while I was growing up – we visited them about 2 weeks during the summer months every couple of years. But when we did visit, we spent a lot of our time participating in outdoor activities that seemed foreign to my Ontario friends. For instance, most of my family is made up of fishermen, so we’d fish a lot and have a big boil in the middle of the woods. We’d also see Moose on a day-to-day basis. To us, this was normal.

It wasn’t until after my grandmother passed away almost 4 years ago that I began to connect the dots.

My maternal grandmother faced a few socio-economic conditions that weren’t typical for my Ottawa peers. She was diagnosed with cancer and did not have access to a nearby healthcare clinic for treatment. In fact, the closest chemotherapy centre took about a day to travel to. My grandmother also did not have more than a grade 5 education and during this time, I noticed there was an overall lack of healthcare knowledge.

I also grew up knowing my maternal grandfather had friends who had gone to Canadian residential schools, but it didn’t occur to me that he and my grandmother may have ties to the Indigenous culture.

Coincidently, my father was beginning to research his own genealogy and it piqued my interest to learn more about my family heritage.

Family ties

Inuit and Métis people are not directly referenced under the Canadian Indian Act, so there isn’t a formal system that allows these groups of people to be recognized as Indigenous. My family and I worked together to navigate through this challenge and found information through informal memberships and groups.

What we learned is that we have a mix of Indigenous ancestry, including Inuit and Mi’kmaq.

“I am a descendant of one of the first four families of the Lower North Shore of the St. Lawrence River.” – Rebecca Bannister

Through our research, we also discovered one of our ancestors is Eliza Jane Webb – a woman of Inuit origin who was born in 1852 in Sandwich Bay, Labrador. It’s believed that Eliza Jane’s father, Henry Webb, was a trader who travelled from England to Labrador. 

Eliza Jane is one of the first settlers of the Lower North Shore in Labrador. She married Matthew Reuben Buckle and birthed 7 children who are responsible for inhabiting villages and communities within Newfoundland and Labrador.

What’s next?

I’m on a personal journey to uncover more about my ancestors and the connection I have with the Indigenous community. Each day, I discover more about my heritage that excites and invigorates me to continue this path of self-discovery.

Part of my journey includes collaborating with –  and taking part in – IBM Canada’s Indigenous Peoples Network Group (IPNG) Business Resource Group (BRG). As a member, I’m able to help advocate for the Indigenous community and educate others on the historic contributions they have made to our society.

Unfortunately, my maternal grandparents have passed away. I wish I had the opportunity to ask them more questions and hear more stories about their youth; however, I take pleasure knowing that their absence has enabled my extended family and I to build a deeper relationship with one another as we continue to explore our ancestral roots together.

I plan to take a trip to Labrador to reconnect with my family and learn more about our ancestors. I want to re-visit local sites and museums with the intention to learn more about my own Indigenous heritage, including the unique mark my family has made in Canadian history.