Reanna Merasty (born 1995) is a

Woodland Cree The ''Sakāwithiniwak'' or Woodland Cree, are a Cree people, calling themselves Nîhithaw in their own dialect of the language. They are the largest indigenous group in northern Alberta and are an Algonquian people. Prior to the 18th century, ...

architect, writer and advocate from

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Her work centres around the importance of

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

representation in architecture, and advocating for and writing on Indigenous inclusion in design education.

Early life and education

Reanna Merasty was born in 1995 in ''Kisipakakamak'', Brochet, Manitoba and is a member of Barren Lands First Nation in Manitoba. She attended the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

, earning a Bachelor of Environmental Design in 2019 and a Master of Architecture degree in 2021. In 2019, during her undergraduate, Reanna co-founded the Indigenous Design & Planning Students Association (IDPSA), the first Indigenous student-led organization in the Faculty of Architecture at the

, and the first of its kind in Canada. The IDPSA advocates for the inclusion and representation of Indigenous design principals, initiatives, and programs in design education and fosters relationships with Indigenous communities. During the final year of her graduate degree (2021) Merasty Co-Edited ''Voices of the Land: Indigenous Design and Planning from the Prairies.''

Career and activism

Merasty is the Chair of the Welcoming Winnipeg Committee of Community Members with the City of Winnipeg. The Welcoming Winnipeg Committee is one aspect of the City of Winnipeg's

reconciliation Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Books * Reconciliation (Under the North Star), ''Reconciliation'' (''Under the North Star''), the third volume of the ''Under the ...

processes. Merasty also sits on the Climate Action Plan Steering Committee and Indigenous Task Force with the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada, is a Board Member for the design advocacy organization Storefront Manitoba, a charitable organization focused on the critical discussion, exploration, and celebration of Manitoba's design culture, and a Board Member for the Indigenous music organization Sakihiwe Festival. She and another Indigenous architect, Darian McKinney, were tasked with restoring a donated former department store in 2023. As of 2024, Merasty works as an architectural intern at Number TEN Architectural Group in Winnipeg.

Publications

* Co-Editor of ''"Voices of the Land: Indigenous Design and Planning from the Prairies"'' published in 2021.

Awards

*In 2020, Merasty was a recipient of the Manitoba Future 40 under 40 award. *Upon graduating with her Master's of Architecture she was awarded the Alpha Rho Chi Medal for leadership and promise of professional merit in Architecture in 2021. *In 2023, Merasty was one of three Youth Recipients of the

Inspire Awards ''AARP: The Magazine'' is an American bi-monthly magazine, published by AARP, which focuses on aging-related issues. History and operations In 1958, AARP began publishing a magazine titled ''Modern Maturity.'' ''Modern Maturity'' was later spli ...

for her work and advocacy for Indigenous inclusion and representation in design education, and was one of six individuals chosen for the National Youth Panel at the N.S. Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers Conference.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merasty, Reanna Living people 1995 births First Nations activists Canadian people of Cree descent People from Northern Region, Manitoba University of Manitoba alumni 21st-century First Nations writers First Nations architects 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Canadian architecture writers Canadian women non-fiction writers