Margaret Pokiak-Fenton is best known as the indomitable subject of four award winning children’s books about her time at residential school in the 1940s, to include FATTY LEGS. Margaret is Inuvialuk, hailing from Banks Island. She speaks at more than one hundred engagements a year, sharing stories of resilience, the path to reclaiming cultural identity, surviving residential school, resilience, and traditional Inuvialuit culture. Her stories have been adapted to theatrical presentations, and she is featured in Keith Secola’s music video for Say Your Name. At 80, Margaret remains lively and inspiring, and is a proud language keeper.
Christy Jordan-Fenton is an award winning author who writes about her mother-in-law’s residential school experiences (Fatty Legs, A Stranger at Home), as well as her own experiences as the child of a residential school survivor. She is passionate about fostering perspectives of decolonized thought that focus on resilience, reclaiming cultural identity, healing through stories, and how to put reconciliation into meaningful action. She is devoted to traditional ceremonies, is a proud mother, an indigenous rights activist, and a land defender who actively participated in the Rocky Mountain Fort Camp.