(Ottawa, ON) March 2, 2022 - On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by Elder Joe I. Keeper. Elder Joe is a member of Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. Joe has worn many hats. In this episode he speaks with Gordon of his experience at Norway House Residential School, along with his schooling afterwards, his time served with the Canadian Army in the Korean War, and his time and experience as a founding member of both the National Indian Council (forerunner of the Assembly of First Nations) and the Manitoba Métis Federation. Joe’s lifelong passion for community development has been focused in the areas of self-governance and through this commitment, the legacy of his work lives on.

The conversation begins with a focus on the historical importance of Norway House as a hub and travelling route for the Hudson Bay Company. Cree syllabics can trace its origins here, and Joe is gracious in the history he shares of this land. Elder Joe shares of his times and experiences at Residential School, noting that the psychological impact that the Residential School System intended was to instill an inferiority complex amongst Indigenous children, reinforcing the feeling that you had to be “white” to succeed in the world. Culture plays an important part in this conversation, as well as providing a lens to view Indigenous – Canadian relations.

Elder Joe speaks fondly of the legend that was his father, who in 1912 attended the Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Shortly thereafter, Joe Sr. served as a runner in the First World War, for which he received the Medal of Bravery. Towards the end of their conversation, Elder Joe speaks to the intent and process of Reconciliation in Canada and how awareness is only the first step. Awareness of self in relation to the history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and awareness of the true history itself. Elder Joe speaks about the importance of self-reliance for Indigenous communities and how this is one of the more powerful indicators of the success of the Reconciliation process. Elder Joe has great reverence for the past, and great hope for what is possible through community development that centres culture and the voices of community members themselves. To listen to Indigenous Roots and Hoots please visit:

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for over 21 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential and Day School Systems and subsequent Sixties Scoop on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to promote hope and healing in Canada. The LHF works to encourage people to address discrimination and injustice in order to contribute to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation.

La FAE dispose de plus de 25 expositions accessibles au public et travaille à rendre ses autres expositions disponibles en ligne. La Fondation possède également des programmes d'enseignement de la maternelle à la 12e année et pour les adultes, ainsi que des guides d'activités visant à sensibiliser les Canadiens à l'histoire autochtone et à l'histoire commune des pensionnats et des externats, de la Rafle des années 60, etc. La FAE travaille à développer l'empathie et la compréhension afin d'éliminer le racisme à l’égard des peuples autochtones.

Pour les demandes médiatiques, contactez :
Teresa Edwards, B.A., LL.B. JD. Directrice générale et conseillère juridique interne Fondation autochtone de l’espoir Courriel:info@legacyofhope.ca Téléphone:613-237-4806, poste 303