Shirley Fletcher Horn

Shirley Fletcher Horn is the first chancellor of Algoma University. Born in Chapleau, Ontario Horn attended the St. John's Indian Residential School (Chapleau, Ontario) and the Shingwauk Indian Residential School (Sault Ste Marie, Ontario). She is well known for her advocacy work relating to the legacy of residential schools in Canada. She is a member of Missanabie Cree First Nation and she served as Missanabie's Chief for six years.[1]

Shirley Fletcher Horn
Shirley Fletcher Horn, Shingwauk Gathering at Algoma University in 2015
Born
Shirley Fletcher

1940
Chapleau, Ontario
NationalityCree, Canadian
Alma materAlgoma University College
OccupationChancellor, Algoma University. Artists
OrganizationChildren of Shingwauk Alumni Association
Known forResidential School advocacy work, artist works.
Parent(s)Gilbert Fletcher, Dinah Sheshequin

Personal life and education

Horn is one of ten children born to Dinah Sheshequin and Gilbert Fletcher. She was taken from her family home at the age of five and sent to the St. John's Indian Residential School in Chapleau, Ontario.[2] She attended that school until the age of seven at which time she was transferred to the Shingwauk Indian Residential School. She attended residential school for a total of eight years.[3] Horn's reflections on her experience at Residential School have been published in The Toronto Star, University Affairs, and in other popular press.[4] Her experience is also shared in the 2014 publication Residential Schools With The Words and Images of Survivors by Larry Loyie.[5]

In 1993 Horn moved to Burnaby, British Columbia to attend the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. In 2009 she graduated from the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at Algoma University, which is now located on the site of the former Shingwauk School. In 2015 Horn was awarded the Algoma Alumni Achievement Award.[6]

Horn has three children: Jutta, Bonnie, and Dieter. Both Jutta and Bonnie have followed in their mother's footsteps by attending Algoma University.[6]

Career

Horn has been actively involved in the governance of Missanabie Cree First Nation. She served as the Chief of the First Nation from 1995 to 2001[7] and has also sat on the community's Elders Council.[2]

Along with Michael Cachagee and others Shirley was a founding member of the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association and the Shingwauk Education Trust. She has held many positions within the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association include president, vice-president, heritage committee member, and executive board member.[3]

She is also well known Cree artist and her artistic work has been exhibited both locally and provincially. In 2009, Shirley and her sister Jackie Fletcher founded the Echoes of the World Drum Festival in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.[8] She was one of the artists selected to participate in the Project of Heart commemoration initiative. Her sculptural contribution to this project is installed in the East Wing of Algoma University.[9]

Since 2015 Shirley has been working with the Soulpepper theater company on their imagiNation initiative.[10] Playwright Falen Johnson is currently working on a play chronicling the life of Horn in context of the history of Residential Schools in Canada.[11]

On June 13, 2015 Horn was installed as the first ever Chancellor of Algoma University.[4][12]

In 2016, Horn worked with Donna Hilsinger and Malgorzata Nowacka-May, Artistic Director of The Chimera Project,[13] to create "Bears Stars and Trees" an interpretive dance art piece reflecting on the seven grandfather teachings.[14]

gollark: You aren't seeing the true genius of potatOS however.
gollark: ALL uses simultaneously.
gollark: Energy is disabled. You don't need it.
gollark: [REDACTED]
gollark: Try the many fun programs!

References
  1. "Chancellor Shirley Horn". Algoma University. 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  2. "Shirley Horn Named First Chancellor of Algoma University". Nation Talk. March 30, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  3. Petz, Sarah (April 9, 2015). "Incredible journey for Algoma U's first chancellor". Sault Star. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  4. Smith, Joanna (June 2, 2015). "She was sent to a residential school. Now She's entering the same building as chancellor". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  5. Loyie, Larry (2014). Residential Schools with he Words and Images of Survivors. Brantford, Ontario: Indigenous Education Press. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-0-9939371-0-1.
  6. Taylor, Darren (March 27, 2015). "Shirley comes full circle". Sootoday.com. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  7. "Chief Horn in for three more years". The Bear Fax. 4 (3). 1998.
  8. "Missinabie Cree". The Hub Trail Sault Ste Marie. Nordik Institute. 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  9. "Ontario". Project of Heart. 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  10. "IN THE PIPELINE | Soulpepper". soulpepper.ca. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
  11. "20 people to watch in 2020 - Macleans.ca". www.macleans.ca. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  12. Macdonald, Moira (April 6, 2016). "Indigenizing the academy". University Affairs. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  13. The Chimera Project
  14. "Bears Stars and Trees – The Chimera Project". Retrieved 2019-10-23.
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