Indigenous Storyteller – Sherry Lawson

The middle child of an Anishinaabe father and an Algonkian mother, Sherry Lawson experienced first-hand many of the issues that Indigenous peoples still face today, including poverty, racism and inequality.

Well-known artist and member of Sherry’s community, Arthur Shilling, paints a wintery scene of an Indigenous family hanging their blankets to dry outside during the winter.

Today, through hard work and perseverance, Sherry has overcome those obstacles to become a Justice of the Peace and an Orillia Citizen of the Year, just to name a few. Using her position and knowledge, Sherry shares the stories of her experiences as an Indigenous woman in Canada and the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Wife, mother, and Nookomis (Grandmother): these are the words Sherry uses to describe her most significant accomplishments and attributes. However, Sherry is also an accomplished author, a storyteller, an anthropologist, a philanthropist, and the list goes on.

Trained in Information and Library Sciences, Anthropology, and Museum Studies, Sherry weaves a story like no other, and knows what it takes to make it riveting. A successful author, Sherry uses her education, personal life experiences, and the oral histories of her people to tell the stories of Orillia’s Indigenous past, from long before ‘Orillia’ even existed.

Sherry lays bare the histories of Canada’s First Peoples, the effects of colonization, the devastation of Residential Schools, and the incredible importance of preserving and maintaining Indigenous heritage. This is why we arranged Sherry’s profile differently than the rest and feel that her words are too important to break apart or edit.

We encourage & invite you to take the time to enjoy Sherry’s full interview.

Sherry Lawson – Indigenous in Orillia (captions available in both FR and EN). Enjoy this video with a transcript (En)

We were placed here very carefully by our
Creator in this special gathering place.