Life is Sacred: Ruby Littlechild’s understanding of being good to one another           

By Laura Mushumanski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) – Any tree that is firmly rooted into Mother Earth is nutrient dense because of the soil, which is the foundation that gives a tree its beauty and wonder. A tree is often looked at in awe of how this creation continues to gift life to all those that live upon Mother Earth. Some trees are deformed, or have different shades than others, or come from a faraway place and are not like the trees we are used to seeing. A tree is never shamed or blamed for its short comings or put in harm’s way based on its differences. And yet human behaviours, thoughts, and feelings towards the differences amongst our relatives’ rich in diverse understandings are usually rooted in harm instead of harmony. The contrast between trees and people – and what we can learn from one another – is deeply rooted in ‘all life is sacred.’

“It’s been a journey,” shared Ruby Littlechild when she spoke about how as a First Nations woman, she had to “armor [her]self with higher education” so that she could survive in a world that continues to typecast and undermine Indigenous peoples because of their differences. A world that denigrates instead of honouring the wealth and depth of knowledge that Indigenous peoples walk with as stewards of the land, rooted in understanding that all life is sacred and treating all people, places and things with respect, love, humility, compassion, and kindness as if they are our kin.

At the age of 16, Littlechild became a teenage mother, and was unable to graduate high school with her class. This led to the educational journey of her post-secondary research that “single First Nations women are the poorest demographic in Canada.” Littlechild’s research was rooted in understanding oppressive behaviours and thoughts and how they impact systems of oppression. She also came to know lateral violence within First Nation communities as a product of traumatic experiences during Indian Residential Schools. The traumatic experiences that Ruby came to know directly relates to the emotional, mental, physical and spiritual health and well-being of our First Nations brothers and sisters on and off reserve. These traumatic experiences are what conditioned our Indigenous relatives to live in a continuous state of hypervigilance. Starting from in the womb till the age of 12 years old, their brains and nervous systems developed to be in a constant state of survival, continuously detecting perceived threats, in this case everyone and everything around them.

“If it wasn’t for ceremony, I wouldn’t have been able to get my [two Masters] degrees. I always go to ceremony first and ask the ancestors to guide me. They brought me this far,” says Littlechild explaining that ceremony is grounded in everything she does, especially with navigating higher education so she could support herself and her children. However, when it comes to communities supporting Indigenous women, Ruby says that more must be done. “Our communities have to step-up [and start] valuing and empowering First Nations women, with education, healing, ceremony, truth…Because silence breeds violence that continues to perpetuate violence in forms of self-hate and self-loathing. We need fathers stepping up and empowering our daughters.”

The choice that Littlechild made to further her education led her to understanding that, “this is my journey. When you understand oppression, you learn not to perpetuate it [because] you are conscious of it.” Ruby walks her talk and teaches others how to walk in a good way. This had led her into the work that she does as the National Director of Government and Indigenous Relations with AtkinsRéalis. Learning how to best work with non-First Nations allies, Littlechild’s advice she would gift to her younger self, is: make friends with people from different nationalities. “We all have been mean to each other; pray, go to ceremony, seek higher learning and stay on that road.”

Ruby Littlechild was the recipient of the 2025 Indigenous Women in Leadership Award, sponsored by LNG Canada –  an annual award presented to an Indigenous woman who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, mentorship, and impact on her community.