Bertha Skye (; born 1932 on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation) is a Cree Canadian chef, entrepreneur, and elder. In 1992, she competed in the

Culinary Olympics The International Exhibition of Culinary Art (in German: ''Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung'' or IKA), termed the Culinary Olympics, is a quadrennial chef competition, and the biggest culinary exhibition in the world.Dixon, Rachel, ''The Guardi ...

, where her Three Sisters soup won gold. She has also served as an Elder-in-Residence at multiple post-secondary institutions in Ontario.

Early life

Fraser was born in 1932 on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation in Saskatchewan to a

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

mother and

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

father. Growing up during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Fraser, along with most others in her community, experienced

food insecurity Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, healthy food. The availability of food for people of any class, gender, ethnicity, or religion is another element of food protection. Similarly, househo ...

. Because of this food insecurity, her parents moved off-reserve so they could grow their own vegetables. This decision benefited Fraser as she was not forced into residential schooling like other children on the reserve.

Career

In 1947, Fraser began working as a cook at the

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

residential school, where she aimed to ensure every child received adequate nutrition despite the difficult conditions. Later, she took a similar job at a residential school in

Norway House Norway House is a population centre of over 5,000 people, some north of Lake Winnipeg, on the bank of the eastern channel of the Nelson River, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The population centre shares the name ''Norway House'' with the ...

, Manitoba. However, she stayed only a year before returning to Prince Albert, then transferred to the Bishop Horden Memorial Residential School in

Moose Factory Moose Factory is a community in the Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Moose Factory Island, near the mouth of the Moose River (Ontario), Moose River, which is at the southern end of James Bay. It was the first English language ...

, Ontario, where she met her husband, Herbert Skye. After relocating to

Six Nations of the Grand River Six Nations (or Six Nations of the Grand River) is demographically the largest First Nations reserve in Canada. As of the end of 2017, it has a total of 27,276 members, 12,848 of whom live on the reserve. The six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy ...

, Skye started a catering and crafts business. Skye also sat on the board for the Six Nations Health Foundation.

Culinary Olympics

In 1992, Skye was selected to participate in the Culinary Olympics as the only woman on Canada's first all-Indigenous team. The team won the competition with 11 medals, including a gold for Skye's Three Sisters soup.

Elder-in-Residence

Skye has served as Elder in Residence at multiple post-secondary education institutions in Ontario, including

Sheridan College Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, formerly Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology, is a public polytechnic institute partnered with private Canadian College of Technology and Trades operating campuses ...

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

, and

Mohawk College Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology is a public college of applied arts and technology located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1966, the college currently has five main campuses: the Fennell Campus on the Hamilton Mount ...

. In this position, she guided administrators on implementing and improving Indigenous programs, as well as supporting Indigenous students. Upon the opening of Sheridan College's Centre for Indigenous Learning and Support in 2015, Skye became a member of the university's Indigenous Education Council.

Honors

Skye was inducted into

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

's Gallery of Distinction in 2019.

Personal life

Skye met her husband, Hubert Skye, while working in Moose Jaw, Ontario. Hubert taught at the residential school and secretly taught children the

Cayuga language Cayuga () is a Northern Iroquoian language of the Iroquois Proper (also known as "Five Nations Iroquois") subfamily, and is spoken on Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation, Ontario, by around 240 Cayuga people, and on the Cattaraugus R ...

. Two years later, the couple permanently resettled in

, where they eventually raised their five children and helped care for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skye, Bertha 1932 births Cree people People from Saskatchewan Living people