100 Alumni of Influence

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Freda Ahenakew, O.C., S.O.M., BEd’79, LLD’97

Plains Cree is Freda Ahenakew s first language, but she also studied English and French. Since then, her works on the language, culture, and history of the Cree people range from classroom readers and workbooks used across the country to popular lectures, childrens books, and scholarly research papers on language and linguistics. By focusing on the transcription, analysis, and translation of traditional stories and autobiographical accounts, she has been able to prepare them for publication in Cree (with an English translation on facing pages) and in their original literary form. She is widely recognized as one of the most distinguished Aboriginal scholars in Canada.