Rachel Perkins

Founder/Lead Consultant

Taanishi, ÍY SȻÁĆEL, Boozhoo!

Let me begin by acknowledging my maternal grandmothers Isabella, Mary, Flora, Flora, Flora (yes - three of them!), and my mother, Fern.

Originally from what is now Treaty 3 near Fort Frances, ON, Isabella Mainville was Saulteux and Ojibwe. Married off to a Hudson’s Bay Fur Trader (and later Chief Factor), Charles Ross. She was a child of 14, he was a man of 28.  Isabella lived the life of a Fur Trade wife, giving birth to 10 (rumoured 11) Métis children along the trade routes of the Red River. Eventually ending up living back and forth between Victoria, BC, and Nisqually, WA after her husband supervised the building of Fort Victoria and Fort Nisqually (among others). When Charles died suddenly at the age of 42, Isabella became an entrepreneur to feed her children. She established farms in what is now Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria, and Rossville (still standing) near Tacoma. She was the first registered woman landowner under colonial rule in BC, though she was Anishinaabe.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

• 20 years experience in federal, provincial, and Indigenous governments

  • Strategic Planning, Program and Project Management, and Secretariat work for the BC Public service, crown corporations and Indigenous non-profits

• Executive Leadership, Governance, and Operational Expertise

  • Operational oversight of government ministries as a Director and Executive Director

  • Board Director and Adivsory Council member

• Career Mentorship and Coaching 

  • Leading socio-economic and cultural programs for Indigenous women and youth, Indigenous youth internship Director, Certified ADHD Coach

• Facilitation and Workshop Delivery 

  • Cultural teachings, historical rous, Government Consultations, Change Management, Indigenous Tools For Living, Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization, and Indigenous Education including UNDRIP, TRC Calls to Action, and the National Inquiry into MMIWG2S+

• Tourism and Events

  • Historical Tour Guide, Indigenous events and gatherings, Conferences, and large-scale meetings

CULTURAL BACKGROUND

• Citizen of Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC)

• Chartered community member of Métis Natio Greater Victoria

• Cree-Métis originating in Île-à-la-Crosse, SK (paternal)

• Anishinaabe-Métis originating near Fort Frances, ON (maternal)

• Salish originating in Nisqually, WA (maternal)

• Born and raised on lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Territories in Victoria BC

  I carry Cree, Métis, and Salish teachings and speak Michif and SENĆOŦEN most proficiently, though I am still very much a learner and am lucky to string together real sentences - especially on the fly! But the beauty of language revitalization is that every bit counts and the lessons of hard work, humility, perserverence, and confidence apply in so many aspects of life. 

  I am always happy to share my background, languages, cultures and stories. My ancestors spent many generations hiding who they were and trying to go unnoticed, so I see  it as my duty to give them their voices back and tell their stories.