Inuk elder Emma Reelis is being remembered for her proud nature and her sage advice, in the wake of her death at the age of 78.
Tributes started pouring in shortly after her passing on Monday, Oct. 12.
Flags at Government House were lowered to half mast Tuesday, and urban Indigenous organization First Light suspended programming for the day.
Originally from Nain, Reelis’ family moved to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, where her father worked on the military base. He died suddenly in 1956. One of six siblings, Reelis was sent from her home to attend a boarding school in North West River. She lived in the dorm until 1963.
“Down at the dorm you were told … the impression that they gave you was, you were nothing, you’re only an Eskimo person, you’re not gonna amount to anything in your life, you’re nothing, you know?” Reelis said, in a feature interview with CBC in 2020.
Emma Reelis stands in the House of Assembly in St. John’s after lighting a Kullik lamp. (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador)
When she left the school at age 16, it was for a job at a nursing station in the community. She then met the man who would become her husband, and the couple moved to his hometown of St. John’s. They had five children, and later grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“She lived in St. John’s but she was always back and forth to Labrador, and when she came she used to come to the [Labrador] Friendship Centre,” said her friend Stanley Oliver, referring to the non-profit centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay dedicated to Indigenous community support and enrichment.
Oliver said that over the years Reelis offered a quiet defiance to what she faced in the school and dorm at North West River. She encouraged Indigenous cultural education.
As she grew older, she was often approached by young Indigenous people, seeking her help. Her response was straightforward and calm advice.
Originally from Rigolet, Stanley Oliver grew up with Reelis’ family and knew the elder for decades. He said she encouraged young, Indigenous people to be proud of who they are and where they come from, and offered advice when asked. (CBC)
“She was always proud to be a Nunatsiavut beneficiary, she was always proud to be an Inuk, she was always proud to be a woman, and to provide that advice to all those who [sought] it,” he said.
Reelis advocated for improvements in K-12 education in Newfoundland and Labrador, to see children taught more about Indigenous peoples and the realities of residential schools. She encouraged advancement of Indigenous rights but also direct support for Indigenous people regardless of where they lived.
In St. John’s, she was active with the former St. John’s Native Friendship Centre — known today as First Light — where she became a board member.
She was recognized during her life with the King Charles III Coronation medal, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and a Seniors of Distinction Award.
“These awards are a testament to her leadership, kindness and empathy and they honour her life of service to others. We are better people for having known Elder Emma Reelis,” said Lt.-Gov. Joan Marie Aylward, offering condolences to Reelis’ family in a statement on Tuesday.
Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Lela Evans called Reelis a “kind soul” whose memory will continue to encourage conversations essential to reconciliation.
“She had such a way of taking something that you know made people so uncomfortable, or really made people feel sad or vulnerable, and she was able to do it in a way that people felt positive after she spoke,” Evans said.
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Nearly two weeks before her death, Reelis attended National Day for Truth and Reconciliation events, including a flag raising at city hall in Mount Pearl and a rally at Pippy Park in St. John’s.
“She meant so much to so many, and her loss is felt deeply across our First Light family,” stated a post on that organization’s Facebook account Monday evening.
“The relationships she built, the moments people shared with her, and the place she holds in our hearts will remain with us,” it reads.
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