Freda Ahenakew

Freda Ahenakew, SOM, LL.D , B.Ed (born 1932) is a Canadian author and academic of Cree descent. She is a sister-in-law to the political activist David Ahenakew.

Born in Ahtahkakoop (Sandy Lake), Saskatchewan, she had twelve children when she received a Bachelor of Education from the University of Saskatchewan in 1979. From 1976 to 1981, she taught at the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural College, the Lac La Ronge Band, and the Saskatchewan survival school.

In 1984, she received a Master of Arts in Cree linguistics from the University of Manitoba. From 1983 to 1985, she was an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan. From 1985 to 1989, she was the director of the Saskatchewan Indian Languages Institute. From 1989 to 1996, she was a professor in native studies at the University of Manitoba.

In 1998, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2005, she was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. In 1997, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Saskatchewan.

Selected bibliography

* "Cree Language Structures: A Cree Approach" (1987)
* "How the Birch Tree Got its Stripes: A Cree Story for Children" (1988)
* "How the Mouse Got Brown Teeth: A Cree Story for Children" (1988)
* "Wisahkecahk Flies to the Moon" (1999)

See also

*List of writers from peoples indigenous to the Americas