Ellen R. White ( 1922 – 2018) of the

Snuneymuxw First Nation The Snuneymuxw First Nation (pronounced ) is located in and around the city of Nanaimo on east-central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The nation previously had also occupied territory along the Fraser River, in British Columbia. Pr ...

is a Canadian aboriginal elder, author, and academic who has been recognized with a national

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

and provincial

Order of British Columbia The Order of British Columbia is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor David Lam, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Bill Vander Zalm, the order is administe ...

. As a young girl, Ellen trained as a

midwife A midwife (: midwives) is a health professional who cares for mothers and Infant, newborns around childbirth, a specialisation known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughou ...

, assisting at births when she was just 9 years old, and delivering children by age 16. After growing up on Vancouver Island, she moved to

Nanaimo, British Columbia Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

after marrying Doug White. She then raised her children in the Nanaimo First Nation. After 30 years as a lecturer and storyteller at

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, White was instrumental in establishing the First Nations Studies program at

Vancouver Island University Vancouver Island University (abbreviated as VIU, formerly known as Malaspina University-College and Malaspina College) is a Canadian public research university serving Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia. Malaspina College opened in 196 ...

(then Malaspina College) in 1994, and spent 13 years there as an Elder-in-Residence. Known as "Auntie Ellen" to students, staff, and faculty, White received an Honorary Doctorate from VIU in 2006 for her years of dedication to education and community service. The Kwulasulwut Garden located at VIU's Nanaimo campus is dedicated to Dr. Ellen White using her Coast Salish name Kwulasulwut, meaning "many stars". The garden includes a totem pole by Coast Salish artist Jane Marston. Ellen White is the grandmother of former Snuneymuxw Chief Douglas White III.

Recognitions

* 2006 – Honorary Doctorate, Vancouver Island University * 2007 – B.C. Community Achievement Award * 2011 –

(BC) * 2016 – Order of Canada

Publications

* Kwulasulwut: Stories From the Coast Salish (Theytus, 1981, 1992). Illustrated by David Neel. * Kwulasulwut II (Theytus 1997). Illustrated by Bill Cohen.

External links

Dr. Ellen White "A Story of Water"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Ellen 1920s births Living people 20th-century First Nations people 21st-century First Nations people Coast Salish culture Coast Salish people Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of British Columbia People from Nanaimo Snuneymuxw First Nation Writers from British Columbia Year of birth missing (living people) First Nations women writers