Golden Nuggets

Despite being born in Winnipeg, close to where her ancestors came from near the Red River, Tracey Kachor lived most of her life totally unaware of her Cree Métis heritage. That all changed when she discovered her true cultural roots and it changed her life trajectory – and that of her entire family!

“I walked slowly into an exploration of my ancestry, and about 10 years ago I had a close friend help connect the dots and found my connection to Red River,” said Tracey, who has lived in Alberta since she was eight years old. “I started learning more about who I really am. I call my generation the Lost Generation, because the generation before us suffered the 60s Scoop, so they were afraid of being taken. The one before that experienced residential schools. History was not good to Indigenous people, and everyone everywhere was hiding their identity if they could. My birth family is white-passing, so apparently it was easier to hide under that cloak.”

(Photo at left: Tracey, husband Jeff and daughter Phoenix outside the teepee they built in their backyard last summer)

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